Resurrection
by alexajaye
Summary: While on a normal-looking job, Dean and Sam are faced with old enemies and a few new ones while the life of a little girl hangs in the balance. With Cas, Adam, Bobby, Michael and many more.  First SPN fanfiction. Rated for language. Now being re-edited.
1. Intro

_**Resurrection**_

**Intro**

**Bad Situation.**

Of all the stupid things Dean Winchester had done to get a job done, this was one of the worst. Jail had been a stupid move. The crazy house had been a stupid move. This almost topped those, but it was close. Seriously, being chained to an alter as part of a Demonic sacrificial ritual definitely had to be the result of a stupid thing to do. And what made it worse was that he wasn't alone.

"Mary," he called softly.

"Yeah?" she replied, indicating that she was alive and conscious.

"I know this looks bad," he admitted. "But it's gonna be okay. I promise. Sam's gonna find us."

"How can you be sure?" she pleaded.

Dean paused. He turned his head as far to his right as he could, seeing her on another altar and chained to it the same as he was. She looked tiny from where he was, her petite, 8-year-old frame barely showing over the edge of the small indent she was laid inside. Dean knew she was scared. He had to admit he was scared too. But Sam had never let him down before – not when it mattered.

"Dean," she cried.

"Sam hasn't let me down in a really long time. He won't start again now. Trust me. He'll find us."

Dean didn't mention the fact that he'd had to get captured to find this place. He didn't mention the fact that they didn't even know how to stop this Demon.

Sam would figure it out. He would have to figure it out. Or Dean was gonna die.

Again.

* * *

I know it's short, but there will be more. This is just the set up. Tell me what you think!


	2. Disappearing Children

***I've re-edited this the best I possibly can - gone over it with a fine-tooth comb (literally). The story is the same. I've just taken own the typos I laid my eyes on while doing my re-edit. Hopefully, it'll be easier to read now.  
**

**I don't own Supernatural. I'm just a fan of the show.  
**

* * *

**One**

**Disappearing Children.**

_One week ago – Highland, New York_

After scouring the internet and local papers for over a day, the tall, dark-haired figure hunched over his laptop that was Sam Winchester was sure he'd found the right one. And Hell on Earth didn't look all that different from what Earth had looked like before – even with more Demons, Ghosts and everything else imaginable. Sam could imagine a lot.

"Where are we going again?" Sam's older brother Dean asked for what seemed like the tenth time.

Sam sighed softly over his laptop. "Highland, New York," he replied diligently.

"How much longer?"

Sam glanced at his watch. "Another hour."

"Give me the run-down again," Dean requested as he rubbed his green eyes wearily.

Sam retrieved his notes, ones he'd been keeping tabs on for the last 24 hours since Bobby had called him. "So far, over the last three weeks, six children have gone missing – all girls, all blond-hair and blue eyes. Police have no leads, and the only connection they thought the girls had was they all go to the same elementary school. However, all the girls are between the ages of six and nine, and until two days ago, the police only had the disappearances."

"That was when the murder happened right?" Dean asked.

Sam inhaled. "Yep. Henry and Alana Thompson were both found with their throats slit. There was no forced entry to their house. Their daughter Mary found them. She's eight."

"That sucks," Dean commented cynically.

Sam scoffed. "Yeah."

"And we're sure this is our kind of problem because?"

Sam glanced at Dean. "There are also Demonic omens in the area. Cattle mutilation. Electrical storms. Plus, Bobby told me to check it out and, I just kind of got this feeling, so . . ."

Dean said nothing back, and Sam went back to his laptop.

Having left their previous destination nearly ten hours earlier, Sam and Dean arrived in Highland, New York close to seven a.m., almost immediately finding a diner to get breakfast. Sam continued looking at his laptop, reading more about the town's goings-on, and Dean shamelessly flirted with the young waitress, whose name it appeared was Angela.

"You know, I met a girl named Angela once," Dean said playfully. "You are much prettier than she was."

The girl blushed, laying two plates of food in front of them and then disappearing into the back of the diner.

"So," Dean said over his pancakes and sausage. "What kind of Demon kidnaps and then kills?"

Sam typed away on his laptop. "Might not be just one, and Demons are getting pretty desperate these days. There could be a lot of different reasons for this."

"What else do the kids have in common?"

Sam pulled up a few of the other stats he'd been able to compile. "All the girls lived with both their parents. They all lived in the same neighborhood."

"What about the girl whose parents got killed?" Dean asked. "Where did she live?"

Sam looked at his laptop, frowning as he spoke. "She lived on the other side of town."

Dean frowned with him. "What did she look like?"

Sam pulled up a school photo of Mary Thompson. "She has brown hair and green eyes. And she goes to a different school."

"So why were her parents killed?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged.

Dean sighed over her food. "All right. Clearly, something is happening here. On opposite sides of town no less. Maybe we should divide and conquer. For all we know, it could be two different things without any connection whatsoever."

Sam huffed softly. "Yeah, but knowing our luck . . ."

"So I'll go to the police station to find out about the disappearances," Dean deduced. "And you can go talk to the girl. Does it say where she's staying?"

"Local authorities have her staying at a local group home while they're looking for any relatives," Sam discovered.

"And?"

"Well, if no relatives are found, she'll become a ward of the state of New York until she's 18 – or adopted. But until then, she'll be in foster care."

The look of displeasure on Dean's weathered face was undeniable, but he said nothing as he began to eat. Sam closed his laptop, picking up his fork and also digging into his food.

It was well-known that Dean wasn't that great with kids, despite his rapport over the years. Sam was a little more honest-like, and kids were better judges of character than most adults. They could also be poor eye-witnesses the younger they were. The possibility of finding anything out from this girl was very low.

* * *

When Dean arrived at the local sheriff's office flashing his fake FBI badge, the middle-aged receptionist was immediately at attention.

"Good morning, Ma'am," he smiled charmingly. "I'm Special Agent Ross with the FBI. I'm here about the disappearances of six girls who've gone missing in the last few weeks. If I could speak to someone in charge, please?"

She scrambled for her switchboard, dialing quickly and glancing at Dean as she spoke into her phone. "Don," she said nervously. "I've got a young man with the FBI here about the missing girls. Uh-huh. Yeah."

She hung up her phone, looking at Dean timidly. "Sheriff Harvey will be right with you."

Dean nodded. "Thank you."

Less than two minutes later, a tall, burly middle-aged man exited a room off to the left side of the woman's desk, and he looked Dean square in the eyes before extending his hand to shake Dean's hand.

"Sheriff Harvey?" Dean inquired.

"That's me," he nodded.

Dean held up his badge. "I'm Special Agent Dean Ross."

"Please step back here with me," Sheriff Harvey offered, gesturing to his office and allowing Dean inside before they both sat down.

"So," Sheriff Harvey said. "Why is the FBI investigating this series of disappearances? The State police are already here."

"Well, quite honestly," Dean said leaving closer to the Sheriff's desk, "having so many children disappear in just a few weeks is very unusual –"

"Really?" Sheriff Harvey inquired, his face confused and annoyed. "It's not strange after the second or third child disappears without a trace? It takes six? Is that it?"

"That's not what I meant," Dean began. "What I meant to say is that it is unusual, and we think something else more serious is happening. When did the State police get involved?"

The sheriff inhaled and exhaled. "After the second girl disappeared three days after the first."

"And what did their investigation find?"

The sheriff looked Dean over again, reaching into a drawer in his desk after a few seconds and pulling out a relatively thick folder. "First, we scoured all six houses. Nothing. No broken windows, no broken locks, no blood, no unknown prints. Then we searched the woods around the neighborhood. Again, nothing. No clothes, no tire tracks, no bodies. We asked the parents if any strange people had been hanging around their houses or the school. Nothing. We interviewed all the teachers, searched the school for any clue as to whether they were all telling the truth. They all checked out. Again, we found nothing out of the ordinary. The girls just vanished from their beds." The sheriff lifted his eyes to Dean. "Now, we've done everything humanly possible to find these children. Damn near caused wide spread panic in the process. Just exactly what do you think the FBI is gonna do after three weeks, six children and a hell whole of a lot of mayhem from all the parents who don't know what the hell is going on?"

Despite the sheriff's impassioned speech, Dean remained calm and collected, having done what he was doing for the last several years of his life. "Quite frankly, sheriff, you don't want to know. Because I can tell you that no matter what you've seen so far, this is nothing like anything you've seen before. And I know you're doing everything you know to do. I respect that. I really do. But I can do more. I can look further, and I can promise you I'll do more that just arrest the son of a bitch responsible for this. And I will appreciate any information you can give me on the case so far."

The sheriff looked confused, but intrigued. He must have sat there for a good minute or two before he spoke again. "I must be crazy thinking this, but I actually believe you," he said much to Dean's relief. "So I'll hand this over to you under one condition. I want to know who's doing this. And I want to know if those kids are still alive. If you swear on that, my files are your files."

Dean inhaled deeply. "Sheriff, I swear I will find who's doing this, and if those kids are alive, I swear I will find them."

Dean had never sounded more serious than when he was talking about hunting, and when the sheriff reached over to shake his hand, Dean bound himself to his word. He would find whatever was taking these kids. Then he would kill it.

"All right," the sheriff said. "Let's get you some copies."

When Dean left the sheriff's department, he carried the box full of files to his car parked down the street, pulling around to a small motel to get a room where he and Sam would be able to settle in for the time being. He hoped Sam had as much luck, if not more talking to the little girl.

* * *

After spending half an hour extracting the address out of a nervous CPS worker three towns over, Sam arrived at the group home where Mary Thompson was being kept. From the outside, the house looked relatively clean, and the front porch even had a rocking chair. Sam was pretty sure this little girl had already been though enough, and he hated what he had to do. But if something supernatural was going on in this town, it was possible she was the only person who could help.

A petite, brown-haired, green-eyed woman answered the door, and Sam smiled pulling out his fake FBI badge.

"Good morning, Ma'am," he greeted.

She smiled. "Yes. How can I help you?"

"I'm Agent Sam Carter with the FBI. Is there a Mary Thompson being kept here?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"I'm sorry, what's your name?" he asked softly.

"Nora," she replied.

"May I?" he gestured to the foyer.

"Please," she said allowing him into the house.

"Nora," Sam began, "we know that Mary's parents were involved in a homicide. And we also know that she found her parents after they were murdered. State police handed this over to us since the new development."

"What new development?" Nora asked.

"Do you mind if I see Mary?" Sam pressed. "I'd really like to get her take on everything that's happened."

Despite Sam's dodge, Nora smiled, moving further into the foyer and then stepping into the conservatory where a little girl was sitting by herself. "She hasn't talked since she got here," Nora told Sam. "And none of the other kids will talk to her, so she just sits quietly by herself."

"Is it okay if I talk to her," Sam asked, adding, "alone?"

Nora looked at Sam nervously for a second before she bowed her head and left, allowing Sam to enter the conservatory as a bright morning sun shined through the stained-glass windows above the little girl's head. Sam moved slowly, pulling a small stool up to sit in front of the little girl as she sat by herself on a small sofa. She didn't move as he leaned closer to her.

Sam was immediately reminded of Lucas, a little boy he and Dean had met eight years earlier. Lucas had been rendered mute after having watched his father die by being pulled under the water of a lake haunted by a vengeful spirit. Sam wondered what Mary had seen to make her stop talking.

"Mary," he whispered. "I'm Sam. I heard that something really bad happened to your parents, and I know you found them before the police came. I'm really sorry you had to go through something like that. I was wondering if it was okay for me to ask you about what you saw."

She remained silent, and Sam noticed how she was sitting as she wrapped her arms around her waist protectively.

"Mary," Sam said again. "I know you're scared. And that's okay. It's okay to be scared. I've seen some pretty messed up things, and believe me, I've been scared too. Did the police talk to you?"

She shifted her eyes, her torso still as she nodded.

She leaned closer. "Did you tell them what you saw?" he asked gently.

Again, she nodded without looking at him.

"Do you want to tell me what you saw?"

She shook her head adamantly.

"It's okay," he assured her. "What you saw must have been horrible. And I don't want you to go through it again. But if we're going to find out how this happened to your mom and dad, I need to know what you saw."

She still said nothing, and Sam sat still for another few seconds before he reached into his jacket pocket. "Okay. Here," he said handing her one of the cards he and Dean had gotten printed weeks earlier. "When you're ready to talk, call me. Actually, if you just want to talk, call me. You can reach me at this number any time."

She took his card, and Sam watched her carefully before he spoke again.

"I promise you that everything is going to be okay," he whispered. "I'm going to find whatever did this, and I'm going to make sure it doesn't hurt you or anyone else. Okay?"

Still, she remained silent, and Sam leaned forward, compelled by an unknown force as he gently kissed her forehead before he stood up to leave. He discovered Nora standing at the edge of the foyer waiting for him, and he sighed softly, meeting her at the doorway.

"Is there anything else you need?" she asked him.

"Has anyone been able to locate her relatives?" he asked sincerely, furrowing his eyebrows with concern.

"Not yet," she replied softly. "Strange thing too. Especially in Mary's situation."

Sam slipped his hands into his pockets. "What situation?"

"Well, her parents left her a great deal of inheritance," Nora explained. "Usually, the relatives climb out of the wood work by now."

Sam couldn't help but notice how strange that was, unconsciously thinking of his mother and wanting to know more. "You wouldn't happen to have Mary's information here, would you? I might have better luck finding someone to take her."

She barely hesitated. "Of course," she said turning to leave.

Nora returned with a manila folder about a half an inch thick, and Sam took it as he spoke a second time.

"You said she hasn't spoken since she got here," Sam said, glancing back into the conservatory where Mary was still sitting.

"Not a word," Nora confirmed.

"Does she use some other medium to express herself?" he asked. "Does she draw or write?"

Nora shook her head. "No," she replied softly. "She just wanders the house. Quite honestly, she scares the other kids. They think she's cursed."

Sam actually chuckled. "And why is that?" he inquired.

"Are you serious?" she exclaimed quietly. "Both her parents were killed. She doesn't talk. She hardly eats. She barely sleeps. We had a child psychiatrist come in, but she wouldn't budge."

Sam looked at Nora. "Did you know Mary before this happened?"

"Town like this," she shrugged. "Everybody knows everybody. I knew Mary's parents. She was exuberant. She collected butterflies. Then nothing. About three weeks ago. I can't even get her to sleep in a room with the other kids. It's sad, really."

Sam again glanced into the conservatory, sighing softly again and then reaching for Nora's hand.

"Well, thank you for your time," he smiled.

Before he could take Nora's hand, Mary came running into the foyer, grabbing Sam's arm and preventing him from touching Nora. She squeezed his arm, her green eyes pleading silently as she cried softly and obviously not wanting him to leave. Nora stepped in quickly, pulling Mary away from Sam and whispering to her.

"It's okay, sweetie," she soothed, but Mary refused to relax as she held onto Sam's sleeve with what felt like a death grip. Sam was shocked.

Nora looked at Sam. "I'm sorry, Mr. Carter. She hasn't done this since she got here, or ever since I've known her."

"It's okay," Sam nodded, staring at Mary, confused.

"Do you need anything else?" Nora pleaded.

Sam shook his head, still looking at Mary. "No. Um, thank you."

She nodded, pulling Mary further away from Sam down the corridor. "You're quite welcome."

Sam turned to leave, looking at Mary one last time before he opened the door and stepped out onto the front porch. Sam had seen a lot of things in his life, and most of them had ended up being evil. Though she hadn't said a word, Mary had told Sam something important. She had seen something. It was very possible she'd seen whatever attacked her parents, and she was more scared than she ever had been in her young life. And Sam had to find out what was happening for her sake, if not for everyone else's in this town.

* * *

Dean was sifting through police reports when Sam arrived at the motel, and already, it looked like something strange and big was going on in this town. Sam looked equally defeated, considering where he'd been, and even though Dean didn't want to lay this on him right now, it looked like they were going to have to dig a little deeper.

"Get anything outta the kid?" Dean asked, watching his brother immediately throw his bag onto the other bed and pull off his jacket.

"Nope," he stated, pausing and then speaking more gently. "Well, kinda. Do you remember that kid, Lucas? He watched his father drown and was mute for months afterward."

"I remember," Dean replied with a nod, distinct memories rushing forward as he thought back to the day he'd met Lucas Barr and his mother Andrea.

"Well, this girl is acting exactly like Lucas did. Except she doesn't have a mom or a grandfather to help her. She's not talking. The woman at the group home says she won't eat. She barely sleeps. She just wanders around the house. The other kids there actually think she's cursed. And get this, her parents left her an inheritance, but so far, no relatives have been found. The woman there said it was a good size too."

"So what do you think?" Dean asked dreadfully.

Sam sighed softly. "I think she saw something, and I think she lied to the cops about it. And whatever it is she saw has got her scared. More scared than any little kid I've ever seen."

"Well," Dean began without pausing, "I talked to the sheriff in town. All six of the kids disappeared from their beds. Weren't discovered until the next morning. They checked the houses, area around the houses, the schools and teachers at the school. Came up with nothing. Kids just vanished."

"Got any suspects yet?" Sam asked, extracting files from his own bag.

"Right now, I'm thinkin' Demon," Dean deduced, "but the question is what kind of Demon takes little kids?"

"Just one Demon?" Sam asked suspiciously.

Dean shrugged. "Well, we've had Changelings, but they usually replace the kids. There's a Shtriga, but the kids don't disappear, and plus after a while, there's a body. The parents woke up, and their kids were just gone — out of their beds like they hadn't even been there. None of the windows were left open. There was no blood or hair found to indicate a struggle. Plus the parents never heard anything. No screams, no broken glass, no nothing."

"So you wanna talk to the parents?" Sam inquired.

"Yeah," Dean replied unenthusiastically.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked leaning closer to his brother. "You want me to talk to 'em?"

"It's not that," Dean said shaking his head. "It's just weird. What would a Demon want with six blond, blue-eyed girls? Is there even a connection with these two cases?"

Sam sighed heavily, prodding Dean slightly. "Well, there's only one way to find out," he told his brother.

Dean inhaled. "Right," he exhaled, sifting through the files in front of him. "The last girl to disappear was Annabeth Miller. She's six."

Sam stood up pulling his jacket back on quickly. "Let's go."

* * *

Andrew and Ava Miller were two of the blondest, nicest people Sam and Dean had ever met, but with their daughter missing the last four, almost five days, it was obvious they were both very anxious.

"We'll try not to take up too much of your time," Dean said as they all sat in the living room together. "I spoke with Sheriff Harvey this morning about these kidnapings, and I was hoping you could tell me what you remember about the last time you saw your daughter and the morning you discovered her gone."

The young couple exchanged nervous glances before the mother spoke.

"Well, the last time I saw Anna," Ava said, "she was fine. Perfect really. We were getting her ready for school the next morning. Andrew works at the local attorney's office, so Anna and I walk to school since it's so close. I fixed her lunch and made her a snack. I gave her a bath and put her to bed," she cried softly, and Dean glanced at Sam quickly. Ava cleared her throat, wiping tears from her eyes. "And the next morning, she was gone."

"I'm sorry," Dean said softly. "The police report said you didn't hear anything the night before."

Ava shook her head. "No."

"Did you notice anything different about her room before or after she disappeared?" Sam asked gently.

"No. Nothing. The police didn't find anything either."

"Have you been in your daughter's room since she disappeared?"

Again, she shook her head.

"I hate to ask," Sam said, "but would you mind if I took a look? Maybe a fresh pair of eyes might — "

"Oh, please," Ava begged. "It's upstairs, second on the left."

Sam smiled sympathetically, standing slowly and then making his way upstairs.

Dean immediately began speaking as soon as Sam was gone. "What can you tell me about the days leading up to your daughter's disappearance? Any strange people or animals hanging around your house or the school?"

Ava looked at her husband, and he sighed heavily. "Not that we can think of," he said. "Like we said to the police a few days ago. Do we really have to go through this again? Why don't you just go out there and find our daughter?"

"Mr. Miller, I know you're upset. Believe me , if someone I loved was taken from me, I'd be upset too. But right now, we need to know everything. Anything. Even if you don't think it's relevant. It could be a new teacher at school or a stray dog. Or it could even be something you think you saw but don't believe. So please, if there's anything you can think of. Tell me. I want to find your daughter just as much as you do."

Ava looked at her husband, and together they sighed before she spoke. "Well, there was this one thing."

* * *

Sam rounded the banister onto the second floor less than a minute after leaving Dean with the Millers, pulling out his EMF meter and finding Annabeth's room. It was typical of what Sam might expect a six-year-old girl's room to look like. The walls were bright white with pink trim around the boarder of the floor and ceiling. The bed was also pink with white lace. It was still unmade.

Sam looked everywhere for something he thought would indicate if anything had been inside the room. But the EMF was clean. He checked under the bed and along the walls for any sign of blood, but there was none. The window looked like it had been wiped clean, but when Sam lifted the window, he found something that told him exactly what had been inside Annabeth's room. It had been no Changeling or Shtriga. Not even a ghost or a revenant.

Only one thing left behind a sulfuric residue.

Dean was ready to go when Sam came back down from the second floor, and even though Ava and Andrew Miller both had expectant looks on their faces, Sam shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Miller. I couldn't find anything."

She huffed as she held onto her husband, and Dean sighed heavily.

"Thank you for your time," he said gently, reaching for Andrew's hand and then Ava's. "We'll be in touch with you. I promise."

He led the way outside with Sam in tow, and they got to the car before anything else was said.

"So did you find anything?" Dean asked as he and Sam slid into the Impala.

"Sulfuric residue," Sam said conclusively. "It was a Demon. The police probably didn't even know what it was. But no blood or broken glass. The window was unlocked, so it's possible the Demon climbed in, took the girl and left. But — "

"No evidence of a struggle," Dean countered. "So either the kid was asleep or went willingly."

Sam shrugged. "It's possible. What did you find out?"

Dean inhaled deeply. "Well, apparently, about three weeks ago, a new teacher started at the elementary school. Moved here from Wyoming. The Millers said the new teacher came to their house when she got into town and wanted to introduce herself. I just wonder what she told the school about where she's from. I say we go pay her a visit."

"There was a Devil's Gate in Wyoming, Dean," Sam reminded him. "You don't think it's possible that it's a Demon from there, do you?"

"There's only one way to find out," Dean insisted.

"How soon after she started at the school did the first kid disappear?" Sam asked over a notepad.

"Three days."

* * *

Though the newest teacher at the elementary school, Helen Quinn, had only been there for three weeks, she seemed to know her classroom's curriculum by heart — knowing exactly when to step away from them to talk to Dean and Sam.

"I've been trying to teach them a new study method," she said of the fifteen first grade students in her class. Her green eyes twinkled as she smiled at her students, and her brown hair glimmered even in the fake light of the school's flourescent fixtures. "Since Annabeth and Lauren disappeared, they've all been a little distracted."

"It's not hard to see why," Sam said glancing around the classroom. "Their classmates are gone. Their parents are worried. Scared their kid's going to be next."

"Right," Dean said, glancing at Sam and silently reigning him in. "Annabeth's parents told us when you moved into the neighborhood that you showed up at their house and talked to their daughter. They thought that was a little strange."

Helen laughed. "I'd just moved into a small town where everyone knew everyone else. I wanted all the parents to know me so when I began teaching their children they could trust me. I didn't want to have any secrets."

Dean again glanced at Sam, seeing him pull out a small silver flask and tilt it up to drink out of it. In a well-practiced move, they elbowed each other at the same time, causing holy water from inside the flask to spew from the mouth and splash onto the teacher. The only reaction she had was to gasp and wipe the remnants of the water away.

"Oh, God! I am so sorry," Sam exclaimed. "I'm such a clutz!" He handed her the flask, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe off the water. As the flask was made out of pure silver, Sam watched for a reaction if she was possessed or maybe a shape-shifter, but nothing happened.

"It's not a problem," she said politely.

Dean tried not to look surprised. "So what exactly are you teaching them?" he asked. "They're six."

Sill smiling, Helen eyed Dean curiously. "You'd be very surprised what they're capable of learning. Their minds are like sponges."

"So what happened to the previous first grade teacher?" Sam asked, replacing his flask. "Did she move away?"

"I think so," Helen said with a slow nod. "They said she gave her notice a couple of weeks before I started. I was looking for a teaching job and put in my resumе. Is it strange that she moved away and I started in her place?"

"In the middle of the school year?" Sam commented. "It is a little strange."

Dean glanced at Sam, widening his eyes at his brother even though he said nothing to Sam. Then he looked at Helen. "Thanks for your time," he said smiling and reaching for her hand.

She smiled wider, as if that was possible, meeting him halfway, and Dean nudged Sam on, not speaking until they were around the corner.

"Way to put a lid on it, genius," Dean barked softly.

"Well, it is weird," Sam exclaimed softly.

"Yeah, but you don't have to let her know that! Come on, let's talk to the principal," Dean said, rolling his eyes annoyingly.

* * *

After discovering the principal out of his office, Dean simply cut to the chase, flashing his badge at the second middle-aged secretary he'd seen that day and asking for Helen Quinn's employment records and her files from the last three weeks.

"Oh, Helen's a joy," the woman said nervously, looking at Sam and blushing. "Practically a gift from God."

"What makes you say that?" Sam asked.

"Well, when Marilyn left, we didn't know what we were going to do. Helen virtually appeared our of nowhere—excellent resumе, perfect references, spotless background. She was almost too good to be true. But those kids took to her like ducks to water. We don't know what we would have done without her, quite honestly."

Sam looked at Dean.

"Is she a saint or something?" Dean asked as the woman handed over the files.

"Oh, I don't know about that," the lady chuckled. "She's just too good to be true."

Dean looked at Sam, and after a few seconds, looked back at the lady. "Thanks," he said with a fake smile.

They left the office slowly, walking out to the car and getting in before they said anything.

"Well, that settles it," Dean said.

When he paused, Sam spoke. "It does? How?"

"Well, this woman shows up out of nowhere at the exact moment their other teacher leaves. Resumе, references, background. Virtually out of nowhere. How much you wanna bet Marilyn didn't just leave?"

Sam sighed. "Maybe she was killed," he said gravely.

"And didn't, uh, Helen seem a little happy to you? She didn't even flinch when you spilled Holy Water on her. It was almost like — "

"Like she was expecting it," Sam concluded.

"Do we think she's a Demon?" Dean asked, turning the engine over and pulling out into the street slowly.

"It's possible," Sam agreed.

"And what's the connection to the murder?" Dean wondered.

"There's only one way to find out," Sam huffed.

* * *

When Dean and Sam pulled up to the curb in front of Henry and Alana Thompson's house, the first thing they noticed was the police tape still making off the wrap-around porch. But what interested them more was a disrupted line of salt also wrapped around the porch.

"What do you think?" Sam asked. "You think they knew?"

Dean glanced around the porch, spotting other magical charms meant to keep out other supernatural creatures — not just Demons. "They knew something," he said certainly. "Let's go."

With one glance behind them to make sure no one was around, Sam quickly picked the lock on the front door as Dean cut through the 'warning' sticker before they both stepped inside the empty house.

The front rooms of the house looked simple enough with a foyer, a living room and a conservatory on the right and a dining room and kitchen on the left. Dean took these rooms while Sam made his way upstairs.

There were several pictures on the walls, and most of them were of the Thompson's daughter Mary as she smiled back at them from an infant to her last school picture a few months earlier. Dean noticed immediately that while Mary was brown-haired and green-eyed, both Henry and Alana Thompson were blond and blue-eyed. That couldn't be a coincidence.

The furniture seemed to be oriented around a blue and red Persian rug in the center of the room with only a small coffee table in the middle, and at first, Dean overlooked it, until he spotted a stray line of white paint on the floor next to and leading under the rug. Immediately, he pulled back the rug to reveal a Devil's trap hand painted to the wooden floor. It looked like it had been there for years. On further inspection, Dean discovered salt mixed into the paint like he'd never seen before.

Dean looked around the room, finding lines of salt in the window sills and in circles around the two high back chairs of the room which was very strange. He didn't understand what the purpose of that would be, but it was clear these people had known enough about Demons and Ghosts to know how to keep them out and how to trap them if they did get inside.

The conservatory, which was covered by a large, glass ceiling felt like a sauna as Dean also discovered it to be filled with herbs and plants meant for protection and dispelling evil spirits. A tin can filled with water set on the floor next to a cushioned wicker couch, and Dean was already guessing the can was filled with Holy Water, meaning most of the plants had been watered with it. It was unreal to see something so unbelievable.

Dean left the living room, moving back into the foyer to check under the matt in front of the door as a round 'welcome' matt laid on the hard wood floor. Surely enough, there was another Devil's trap there. There was also one under another matt in front of the stairs. He didn't get a chance to check out the dining room, because just as he stepped into the archway, Sam called him from upstairs.

"Dean, you better come look at this!"

With a heavy sigh, Dean turned quickly and made his way up the stairs to the second level, yelling as he stepped onto the floor. "Sam?"

"Last door on the right!"

Dean looked in all the rooms between the stairs and Sam, glancing in at a pale green room that looked like it belonged to a little girl and then seeing a royal blue bathroom that didn't appear to have ever been used. Finally, he arrived at the last door on the right where Sam was standing close to the king-sized bed in the middle of the room as a large portion of the mattress laid soaked with dried blood.

The smell was undeniable as a stale, metallic taste wafted in the air. It was almost as bad as a dead body, and Dean gagged unconsciously.

"Damn," he exclaimed.

Sam sighed. "Yeah."

"Haven't seen anything like this since — "

"Since Ava's fiancé," Sam repeated gravely.

Dean looked up at him. He recognized the look on Sam's face because he'd seen it before. Since learning he'd been one of Azazel's special children, Sam had gotten this expression of pure anger and hatred on his face whenever the damn thing had been mentioned.

"It gets better," Sam said, stepping back a few steps to reveal the east corner of the room as the distinctive outline of a crouched body covered in blood lay into the white-painted wood of the walls. Sam allowed Dean to look closer before he spoke. "I don't think Mary simply found her parents after they were killed," Sam said seriously. "I think she was in the bed with them when it started."

"Then — " Dean stopped, unable to connect the dots.

If a Demon had taken those girls, and a Demon had killed Mary's parents, what did that have to do with Mary? And if she had been in the bed with them when the Demon had attacked, why was she still alive? Was it the same Demon? Did it have plans for Mary?

"There's also sulfur under the window," Sam added. "It was definitely a Demon."

Dean then knew one thing, though he wasn't sure how he knew it. "Sam, this is huge," he said.

Sam could only bow his head in agreement.

* * *

It was just getting dark when Sam and Dean made it back to the motel. There were deep grey storm clouds on the horizon, and thunder and lightning littered the sky and the air as they both carried everything they'd collected over the course of the afternoon into their room. This new revelation made even less sense than anything either of them had encountered so far, and after what they'd been through, they were both determined to figure out what was going on.

"The main thing I want to know," Dean said as he paced the floor, "is why that lady at the home didn't say anything about Mary being adopted."

Sam sighed as he read through a section of Mary's papers. "Maybe Mary was a baby when she was adopted," he suggested. "If you raise a baby into an eight-year-old girl, do you consider her adopted?"

Dean shook his head. "I don't know. But this is not good. We're sure a Demon took those little girls," he stated obviously, "and now we're sure a Demon killed Mary's parents — or well, her adoptive parents. Do those files say anything about her biological parents?"

"Not yet," Sam revealed. "There are no hospital records. Her adoption papers are practically blank. But you saw the salt and the Devil's traps. Holt Water. They obviously knew something was going on. They were trying to protect their daughter."

Dean huffed as he still paced. "Yeah, downstairs anyway. That still doesn't explain why Mary was in their bed when they were attacked."

Sam began sifting through everything they'd collected at Mary's house. "Maybe she wasn't supposed to be," he said softly, absently.

Dean turned to Sam, lifting his hands to his waist. "What is it?" he asked.

"All six of those girls had blond hair and blue eyes," Sam recounted. "And Mary's adoptive parents had blond hair and blue eyes. That's not a coincidence. And if a Demon, or Demons, was after Mary, maybe they'd need a sacrifice to overpower her parents' defenses."

Sam lifted his eyes to Dean's. "I think that's the connection," he concluded. "I think there's more than one Demon. One Demon to pick out the blond-haired, blue-eyed girls, and one Demon to watch Mary."

Dean caught on quickly, moving to where he'd settled most of the papers he'd gotten from the sheriff. "The sheriff said they checked out everybody at the school. I wonder what the new teacher did to keep them from looking into her records."

"Some Demons can control people even if they aren't possessing them," Sam reminded as his cell phone rang.

He put down the papers, taking out his phone and answering it automatically. Before he could even say hello, he heard screaming — the kind of screaming that sent chills down the spine of a grown man who had been fighting Demons and other evil creatures his entire life, save a few years when he'd futilely attempted to stop, to hide, to be normal.

Then he heard the voice of a little girl crying his name. "Sam! Help me! Sam!"

He rose to his feet quickly. "Mary?" he called into the phone, but she only screamed again. "Mary?"

The lightning and thunder raged on uncontrollably outside, knocking out the power, and the line went dead as Sam struggled to hear anything else. There was nothing. He lifted his eyes to Dean again.

"I think she's in trouble," he said, his eyes full of fear — a fear Dean had only ever seen once in his life. "We have to hurry," Sam exclaimed.

* * *

Armed with the Colt and Ruby's knife, Sam and Dean raced through the dark roads of Highland toward the group home where Mary Thompson had called from. At least, Sam was pretty sure she was still there. After two days, he was sure the Demon who had killed her adoptive parents was waiting for something, especially since Mary had been left alive while her parents had been slaughtered.

"You're sure she's still here?" Dean asked as they ran through the rain to the front door with their weapons ready.

"Pretty sure," Sam huffed, arriving on the porch and gripping the hilt of Ruby's knife in his hand as Dean aimed the Colt high.

Dean also huffed, eyeing Sam reproachfully even as he kicked the door in and slowly made his way into the foyer.

The house was dark from the storm also knocking out its power, and the front rooms were empty. Lightning crackled as thunder boomed, shaking the house and indicating the storm was directly overhead. A cry from the second floor preempted their search, driving both of them up the stairs where a long hallway held eight rooms.

"Where is she?" Dean demanded.

Sam surveyed the dark interiors of every room he walked by. "I don't know. Mary!"

"Sam!" a tiny voice cried out from down the hall.

"Go," Dean pressed. "I'll cover you!"

Sam proceeded carefully, allowing the minimal light accentuated by the frequent lightning to guide him toward the end of the hall. "Mary?"

"Sam! Help!"

Her voice was definitely coming from the last door, and even though Sam paused, suddenly remembering that he'd never heard Mary's voice before, he took the door knob in his hand and opened the door.

The room he stepped inside was pitch black even with the soft window light emanating from the sheer draperies. "Mary?"

The lightning and thunder shook the house again, illuminating the room and revealing Mary's small figure huddled in the far corner. He hurried, kneeling in front of her and putting Ruby's knife away.

"It's okay," he whispered. "I won't hurt you. Are you okay?" he pleaded.

She shook her head.

"What's wrong?" he asked as Dean entered the room still brandishing the Colt.

"There's something wrong here," Dean bellowed. "There's no other kids here!" he yelled as it thundered, shaking the house again.

"What?" Sam asked.

Dean sighed, moving to Sam's side. "There's no other kids here. You honestly didn't notice that?"

"Well, thank you, Captain Obvious," they both heard and turned to see Nora standing in the door.

Sam rose, standing in front of Mary. "Nora?"

She smiled deviously. "Don't worry, Sam," she said knowingly. "She'll be pleased to see you."

The door slammed shut as more lightning and thunder shook the house. Dean hurried to the door, trying the knob, but it wouldn't budge. He tried to kick it in, but it felt like it was made out of steel.

Dean turned to Sam. "Great," he snapped.

* * *

The storm outside raged on violently as Dean and Sam paced the inside of the bedroom with Mary still crouched in the corner. The door hadn't budged for half an hour, and the room was still dark.

"We got to get out of here," Sam pressed, moving to the corner where Mary was sitting. She pulled away from him, but he whispered. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. Come here."

Several seconds passed as she stared at him, and she eased out of the corner into his arms as he lifted her out of the corner and moved to Dean's side.

"We have to get of here now," Sam continued.

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock," Dean hissed. "How? That's door's made out of titanium or something!"

Sam moved to the window, seeing out across the grass and then seeing a trellis close to the window sill. "We could climb out," he suggested.

Mary grasped onto his neck and shoulders, and he looked at her before looking at Dean.

Dean moved to the window. "Maybe," he said. "But what was she talking about?" he asked. "What did she mean when she said 'She'll be pleased to see you'? Who's gonna be pleased to see you, Sam?"

Sam sighed. "I don't know. We can talk about it later. Right now, we have got to get out of this house."

Dean tried the window, pushing the pane up as rain blew into the room. "You sure about this?" he asked Sam, who had moved Mary onto his back.

"Nope," Sam said, stepping onto a ledge just below the window and easing along the sliver slowly until he reached the trellis.

Dean followed.

The climb was slow as Sam carried Mary on his back, but he made it to the ground, pulling her around to hold onto her as Dean touched down.

"Let's go," Dean ordered, pushing Sam on even as he looked back to see Nora in the window of the room from which they'd just escaped.

Dean neither said nor did anything, following Sam to the Impala as it set on the curb.

* * *

**Okay, here we go. The first part. I know it's long, but that's just my style. Please tell me what you think, and what you think needs to change. I'll love any opinions you might have.**

**_*I'll also be re-editing the following chapters over the next several weeks, but hopefully, it won't be too noticeable. Thanks for reading!  
_**


	3. Orphan

_**The disclaimer. I do not own Supernatural. I just really like the show and had this idea. Mm-hm. **_

***I've re-edited this the best I possibly can - gone over it with a fine-tooth comb (literally). The story is the same. I've just taken own the typos I laid my eyes on while doing my re-edit. Hopefully, it'll be easier to read now.**

* * *

**Two**

**Orphan.**

"You wanna what?" Dean demanded as he and Sam both stood across their hotel room from Mary, who was now huddled in a corner.

They'd only been back in the safety of the room for half an hour when Sam had made this stupid suggestion. Dean could only guess the idiot had hit his head, even if nothing had fallen on him. Maybe Mary had cut off oxygen to his brain when she'd been holding onto his neck on the way down the trellis.

"It makes sense," Sam argued, glancing over his shoulder at Mary.

"How?" Dean still demanded.

"Demons killed her parents, Dean! She survived a brutal attack on her parents without a mark on her. I think it's safe to say that can't be a coincidence. If she's in danger, we're the only ones who can protect her."

"So let's track down the evil son of a bitch and kill its sorry ass before it can come back!" Dean exclaimed.

"How?" Sam pleaded. "We walked right into a trap, and the Demon was waiting for us. It could very well be watching us right now, waiting for a good time to strike. How are we supposed to track it now?"

"I don't know," Dean barked. "But your idea is even dumber than mine! Sam, she's a little girl!"

"Who's obviously special enough to warrant personal attention from a powerful Demon. We can't leave her here," Sam pressed.

"Well, we can't take her with us."

"We might not have a choice."

Dean huffed, turning his attention to Mary as she still sat in the corner. Sam did too, speaking softly.

"No one here will know how to keep her safe," he swore.

Dean said nothing for several minutes, watching Sam move to the corner and kneel in front of Mary.

"It's going to be okay, Mary," he soothed softly. "Nobody's going to hurt you again. I promise. We're going to protect you. It's really okay."

He reached out for her, and she allowed him to pick her up. Dean sighed heavily, realizing that Sam had clearly become attached to this little girl because of something they had in common. When Sam had been a baby, Azazel had marked him as special, and 22 years later, the world as they knew it had changed forever. Sam probably knew how it felt to be marked. Dean wondered what it meant for Mary. Had she been fed Demon blood as a baby? Was this Demon now coming to collect its property?

"Look," Sam began, now holding Mary in his arms. "I know it's not the easiest choice, but it's the right choice. We'll go to Bobby's. We'll go by her house and get her clothes, and we'll take her the Bobby's."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah. He'll love this," he said incredulously.

"It's not midnight yet," Sam stressed. "We can go now and be gone by morning."

Dean still wanted to argue, but he didn't, conceding for the time being and moving around the room to pack all their bags. They'd only been in town a day, but sometimes it had been less time than that. Dean was actually very ready to get out of this town.

"We should probably call the police," Sam suggested as he carried Mary. "So we — or I can claim custody of her. That way, they won't think she disappeared too."

"Now you're crazy," Dean insisted, carrying their bags to the car.

"It's the only way to keep them from thinking she was kidnaped too. One more kid disappears, the FBI really will show up, and we'll be the first people on their list. This way, we can take her with us, and they won't put out a search for her."

Dean agreed to nothing, even though he knew Sam was right. He shut the trunk and got in the car with Sam to drive around to the front office and check out. Once that was done, he grudgingly drove back around to the group home to discover it now empty.

Sam called the police, reporting a break-in since the front door was kicked in and remaining on scene with Mary while they waited. Dean made himself and the Impala scarce down the street, praying this all worked out the way Sam wanted.

EMTs showed up to check Mary, and Sam gave his best statement to the police. It helped that Sam had cut his temple on the trellis and had to be bandaged up by one of the medics. The police had no choice but to believe Sam when he told them what had happened.

"I was coming back to do a follow-up," Sam told the police, furrowing his eyebrows convincingly. "The house was dark, and the front door was standing wide open. I checked the house, but the only one I found was Mary. At least, I thought she was alone. The guy who broke in must have still been there," Sam said, gesturing to his cut.

"Well, it's lucky you were there," the officer interviewing him praised. "Too bad nobody's come forward for Mary though. Guess you'll be taking her back into custody."

Sam nodded. "I guess so. But we will continue to look for her relatives, if there are any out there. Thank you for all your help," he conveyed reaching out to shake the man's hand.

"Agent Carter," the man acknowledged, bowing his head.

Sam stepped away from his side, moving to the ambulance where one of the other medics was finishing up with Mary.

"Okay," Sam announced. "Are we ready to go?" he asked Mary.

The medic looked at him. "I think so."

Sam smiled at the medic. "Thanks."

As soon as the medic stepped away from Mary, Sam sat next to her in the back of the ambulance, glancing around to make sure no one else was looking before he spoke.

"Mary, are you okay?" he asked her softly.

She shook her head.

Sam leaned in closer. "You didn't call me, did you, Mary?"

Again she shook her head.

"But you wanted to, right?"

For a second or two, she didn't move. Then slowly, she nodded.

Sam inhaled deeply. "Mary, I know you're scared. And you have every right to be. Anybody would be terrified after what you went through. But I promise you that you're safe with me and Dean. We're going to figure this out, and we're gonna stop whatever did this. I'm sorry about your parents."

He pulled her closer, comforting her as best as he could only a moment before she spoke for the first time.

"Mommy and Daddy said I'd been safe with them too," she exclaimed, her voice muffled against the side of Sam's chest.

The first thing Sam noticed was how she sounded exactly like what he'd heard before, meaning the Demon had to have heard her at some point — either before or after the murders. He leaned back to look at her. For some reason, Sam couldn't think of what to say, and he realized Mary didn't completely trust him. Sam completely understood that.

"It's going to be okay," he promised her after a few seconds as the medic returned with a blanket. Sam wrapped Mary up, lifting her in his arms again and shaking the medic's hand before he carried Mary to the rental car he'd gotten earlier that day.

There were still so many things they didn't know about Mary, and they needed to know all of it before they faced this Demon — or Demons, if that was the case. Clearly, Mary had been adopted, and clearly, her adoptive parents had some knowledge of the Supernatural world, but it hadn't been enough to save their lives. Sam and Dean needed to know why.

Dean was more than a block away, but he was ready when Sam pulled up with Mary and then climbed into the back seat with her. From there, they drove around to Mary's house to pack all the clothes from her room. Sam was willing to go in by himself, since Mary appeared more than somewhat reluctant to go inside. But Dean refused to be left in the car with her. So they all went in together.

"This has got to be your dumbest idea yet," Dean griped as Sam picked the lock on the front door.

"We don't have a choice, Dean," Sam argued, rising and taking Mary's hand to pull her inside.

Dean just scowled.

The inside of the house was dark and quiet, and Sam lifted Mary into his arms as he moved to the stairs.

"Stay down here," Sam told Dean. "Make sure the police don't spot us."

Dean said nothing, watching Sam carry Mary upstairs to the second level.

* * *

Sam stopped at the first door on the right, Mary's room, as it set undisturbed from earlier that day. He set her on the bed, moving to her closet and immediately filling a bag from the floor. He made sure to find all her long-sleeved shirts and pants, along with shoes and jackets. Sam had never had to pack for a little girl before, but he hoped he got all the things she would need.

He must have stood in the closet only a few minutes looking for clothes when he looked back at Mary, but she wasn't there. He hurried to the dresser, awkwardly stuffing underwear and socks into the bag before he stepped into the hallway.

"Mary," he called frantically, looking to the end of the hallway and seeing her in the open doorway of her parents' room.

Sam sighed heavily, moving to her side quickly. "Mary," he pleaded, kneeling beside her as she stared into the dark room where her parents' bed still set soaked in blood.

"Mary, we don't have time," Sam pleaded, uncertain how to tell her they had to leave and they probably wouldn't be back.

She whispered so softly that Sam didn't hear her, and he turned her to face him.

"What is it?" he begged.

Two thick tears spilled down her cheeks. "I thought I could save them. But I couldn't."

Sam was confused, but he didn't have time to figure out what she meant, easing forward to lift her in his arms to leave the doorway and the second floor.

Dean was waiting by the banister when Sam came down with Mary and her bag, speaking immediately. "What happened?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Sam breathed, breezing passed him to leave the house.

Dean didn't argue, following Sam and hurrying to the Impala to get in before they pulled away from the curb to leave town.

* * *

The face of Sam's watch read two a.m. before he laid Mary in the back seat and climbed into the front seat to sit next to Dean. In the last few hours, the only sounds that had filled the inside of the car had been a radio station Dean hated. But Sam had insisted on putting Mary to sleep, and the only thing he knew to do was hold her until she relaxed in his arms.

"Okay," Sam began, settling into his seat in the darkness and turning his attention on Dean. "We need to talk, and I wanted Mary to asleep before we did that."

Dean glanced at him. "Why?"

"Because she's eight," Sam stressed. "I know when we were eight, it wasn't a big deal, but do you really want to talk about Demons around her after what she's been through?"

"Dad never sheltered us," Dean argued. "Not when it mattered. And even if there used to be days when I wish he had, I'm glad he didn't. It was stuff we needed to know."

"Well, we're not gonna do that to her," Sam pressed. "Now listen. Mary wasn't supposed to be in her parents' bed. I don't know why they were protecting her, but it's obvious she needs to be protected. The Demons weren't expecting her to be there, but she survived. I think Mary was trying to protect her parents. I think she thought no one — nothing would hurt them if she was there."

Dean glanced into the back seat, and Sam did too, seeing Mary still asleep, and he sighed softly.

"She's even more fragile than you or I ever were at her age. We had Dad. She doesn't have anybody."

"Which is why this is a bad idea," Dean argued. "We don't have time to play house. We have to find the Demon that did this, kill them and find the kids the other Demon took to take them back to their parents."

"And we will," Sam promised. "The Demons probably haven't hurt the girls they took, and they probably won't until they have Mary. Odds are the girls are part of a ritual or ceremony that can't be completed without Mary. They obviously want her, and w can't let them get to her. I know we're not her parents, but we're all she has right now. We need to be her family for now. Okay? Please?"

Dean hmph'd softly, shaking his head and glancing at the road a split second before he slammed on his breaks and brought the car to a screeching halt less than an inch from Cas' wet trench coat as the Angel stood in the middle of the road.

Sam grabbed Mary to keep her from being tossed around the back seat, and Dean cursed under his breath, watching Cas move around to the passenger door and lean into the window.

"This is not a wise course of action," he informed them, to which Sam sighed heavily, rising out of the front seat and moving to the back seat where Mary was now awake.

"I tried to tell him that," Dean told Cas. "But he won't listen to me."

Cas slid into the car and closed the door. "No, I mean leaving is not a wise course of action. Not with her."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, now holding Mary and rocking her slightly.

"I mean, leaving this area is not a wise course of action," he continued vaguely.

Dean glanced at Sam, staring several seconds before he looked at Cas. "Why?" he asked.

Cas glanced at Sam, lowering his eyes to Mary as she now stared at him wide-eyed. "Because this child is not what she appears to be."

* * *

They were close enough to Syracuse to find a small motel for the time being, and while Dean checked them in, Sam unloaded some of Mary's things and led Cas to the motel room with Mary still awake in his arms. When Dean joined them and set the door for traps in case a Demon tried to attack them, he commanded all of Cas' attention, despite the Angel and Mary both staring each other down.

"All right, Cas, so tell me," Dean began. "What is Mary?"

"Haven't you already figured it out?" he asked obviously.

Dean hesitated, glancing at Sam as he held Mary in a chair away from the bed Cas was sitting on. "Apparently not," Dean informed him. "Especially if you know something about her we don't. So come on. Lay it on us. It couldn't possibly get any worse."

"Actually, it can," Cas said gravely.

"How?" Sam asked.

"Because she was supposed to be hidden," Cas revealed to them, "and they found her. Because of an unplanned incident. Because her parents told her what she is."

Dean leaned over with his hands together. "And exactly what is she, Cas?" he asked again.

"Isn't it obvious?" Cas pressed, gesturing to Mary. She jumped in Sam's arms, and he held her tighter.

Dean again turned his eyes to Sam, confusion crossing his face slowly. "Apparently not," he told Cas again.

"She is Lilin," Cas exclaimed. "A child of Lilith. A Rogue-child born of two humans until she's turned evil to do the Devil's bidding."

Dean was stunned. He was speechless, for once. Sam actually scoffed.

"The Devil, Cas?" he asked. "We killed him."

"No," Cas stressed. "You banished Lucifer back to Hell, restored him to his prison, where he will more than likely remain for another few millennia before humanity is yet again primed for his return. That is inevitable. But this is entirely different."

"How?" Sam asked.

"Because Lilith knew she wouldn't survive. And she planned for it," Cas revealed.

"Yeah," Sam said. "She came to me and offered to stop killing people and breaking seals if I gave her me and Dean. Of course, Dean rushed in with Chuck and messed all that up."

"Hey!" Dean yelled. They both looked at him, seeing a look of incredulity on his face. "I was trying to keep you from doing something stupid. Which is obviously an impossible feat at this point."

"The point," Sam continued. "We killed — I mean, I killed Lilith. She wasn't banished or sent back to Hell. She's dead. What does that have to do with Mary?"

"Lilith was a high level Demon," Cas stressed. "She was as close to Lucifer as you can possibly get without getting to him. She had several methods — plans meant to prevent her death. Her proposition to you was only the last in a long line of plans she put in motion the moment she began to do her work. And it was well before either of you encountered her. This child is only one of many who were born with the ability to harness her powers and her essence indefinitely."

Sam lowered his eyes to Mary's as she looked at him. "So how many are left now?" he asked.

Cas laid his eyes on Mary. "Just one." He paused. "That we've found."

Sam looked at Dean, and they were both quiet for several seconds before Dean spoke again.

"How could Lilith have any children? She's a Demon."

Cas lifted his eyes to Sam's, and the younger Winchester sighed — a sign he knew something about what Cas was talking about.

"Sam," Dean said. "What do you know?"

Sam looked at Mary, obviously still not wanting to expose her to this any more than he had to but unable not to since it was clear Mary wasn't letting go of him any time soon.

"Lilith wasn't only Lucifer's first," he began. "She was also the first wife of Adam in the Garden of Eden. Before Eve. But she wasn't docile or giving enough, so she was cast out. That's probably what made her so susceptible to Lucifer. After she was made a Demon, it was said that she mated with Samael, who, according to some legends, was also a Fallen Angel. Like Lucifer."

"Exactly," Cas agreed. "As I said. Rogue-children. Born of two humans until they're turned evil — "

"But Lilith had thousands of children with Samael," Sam added.

Dean scoffed. "Crazy bitch got busy with the evil bastard," he commented.

Sam looked at him reproachfully, and Dean shrugged.

"What?"

Sam shook his head continuing. "And when she was cast out of Eden and turned against God, he warned her that one hundred of her children would die a day if she didn't go back. How could there be any left? That was over two thousand years ago."

"She had _millions _of children with Samael," Cas corrected. "And they all died before they could be used against God. Until we found her," he said looking at Mary.

"So out of the millions of children Lilith had with this Samael," Dean deduced, "Mary's the last one?"

"She's one of the last," Cas nodded. "Again that we've found. And the Lilin weren't supposed to find her. Now that they have, we might not have a choice in the matter."

"A choice in what matter?" Sam asked.

"Now that she's been found, the Lilin will stop at nothing to find her and use her. And if that happens, Lilith will rise again. For good. This child's blood will ensure her immortality and invulnerability."

Sam looked at Mary, obviously thinking they had to protect her, but then Dean stood up, pulling Ruby's knife from its scabbard. Several seconds passed as Sam realized what he was doing, and he stood up in front of Mary.

"Whoa, Dean! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Dean pressed. "My job! She's a demon-child, and it's my job to kill her."

Sam held up his hand, holding onto Mary. "She's a little girl," he yelled. "She's innocent. She has no idea what's wrong with her, and she's scared. The Demons took those kids and killed Mary's parents. She didn't do those things."

"Those Demons did that for her," Dean argued. "So they could prepare her. If we kill her, their plan is squashed and Lilith stays dead."

"She's done nothing, Dean," Sam stressed. "She's done nothing wrong, and we're going to protect her from the others who are after her. She's not evil yet, and that's because the people who raised her made sure she was okay. They loved her, and they protected her. Clearly something has to happen for her to turn."

"I don't care," Dean shouted.

"I do," Sam screamed.

"Stop this," Cas ordered. "This isn't the way to do this. Killing the child will not stop it. It will only advance the Lilin's plans. And they do have a plan." Cas moved closer to Sam and kneeled in front of Mary. "We have to hide her. From the Angels and the other Lilin looking for her."

He lifted his eyes to Sam's, and it was clear what Cas wanted to do. Sam sighed, looking at Dean to see him putting the knife away.

"I don't usually ask for permission," Cas asserted. "As you remember. But . . ." He looked at Mary.

Sam knelt at Mary's side, taking her hand in his. "Mary, this is Castiel. He's an angel, and he needs to hide you from other Angels and the Demons who might want to get to you. And in order to do that, he needs to put a mark on your ribs. It'll protect you."

"Will it hurt?" she asked holding onto his hand.

Sam glanced at Cas. "It might," he told Mary. "But I'm right here. Okay?"

"You should probably hold her a little tighter," Cas suggested.

Sam held onto Mary tighter as Cas lifted his hand slowly, lightly touching the middle of her chest and allowing the light to emanate from the palm of his hand. For only a second or two, Mary's whole body vibrated, and she squeezed Sam's hand as tight as any one ever had. She closed her eyes and held her breath. It was over instantly, and Cas took his hand from Mary's chest. He stared into her eyes for another second or two before he rose and turned to face Dean.

"The trail should end here," he said of Mary. "I'll take her, and you should follow in the car. Perhaps if I explain this to him, he won't have to worry about the outcome."

Dean scoffed again. "Good luck."

Cas turned back to Sam as he still knelt in the floor at Mary's side.

"It's probably best that I take her now," Cas said. "The longer we wait, the worse it will be. And we can talk where it's safer."

Sam sighed again. "Okay." He looked at Mary. "You need to go with Cas, okay? He's going to get you somewhere safe. Safer than here. And we'll be there just as soon as we can get there, okay?"

"Soon?" she pleaded.

"Soon," he promised, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. He stood up slowly, and Cas stepped forward.

He took Mary's hand gently, and she looked at him.

"Thank you for asking," she said softly. "It wasn't so bad."

"You are most welcome," he replied, looking at Sam and then Dean before he simply vanished with her at his side, the sound of fluttering wings dissipating softly.

The moment they were gone, Dean let out a laugh, moving back to where he'd been sitting before.

"Oh, this is good!" he exclaimed. "This is so good! This is amazing."

Sam moved around the room to his side. "What is your problem, Dean?"

Dean shook his head, smiling. "It's just so obvious."

"What is so obvious?" Sam asked, sitting on the bed nearest to Dean.

"I thought that maybe you felt bad for this kid because some Demon was using her the way Azazel used you," Dean explained. "But now it's all too obvious. And I guess it only makes sense that you wouldn't notice."

"Notice what?"

"She's a demon-child, Sam," Dean pushed. "Don't you get it? Meg? Ruby? Lilith? Obviously, you have a soft-spot for Demon-spawn. Can't you see that she's seduced you? I mean, come on. It's obvious. At least now we know who's gonna be pleased to see you."

Sam stared at Dean incredulously. Appalled by what his brother was suggesting, Sam went on the defensive. "First of all, I never liked Meg or Ruby or Lilith! They were Demons with serious inferiority complexes, and they all used me. Second of all, that was four years ago, and we've been fighting the left-overs ever since. And third, she's a little girl," he bellowed. "Who obviously has no idea what's going on. Did you really understand what was going on around you when you were eight? And it's not my fault that my paternal instincts kick in every time I'm around her!"

"Paternal instincts?" Dean scoffed. "Are you serious? Of all the kids we've encountered the last 8 years, this is the first one you feel connected with? It doesn't even bother you that she could bring Lilith back, that her blood could make Lilith invulnerable. That means we wouldn't be able to kill her a second time. All because this kid was one of her spawn."

"Well, I do know a little about what she's going through," Sam argued. "And she needs somebody to take care of her. Obviously, you wouldn't know anything about that." Sam stopped, sighing and shaking his head. "Let's just get this out right now. You're worried Lilith is going to use me again to get back at us getting her killed. That this girl is some mystical key to bringing about the end of the world. Again. Just like last time. I don't happen to believe that. Because there's clearly something that has to happen in order for her to turn evil. It's not going to be like it was with me. I was led down a path without knowing where I was going, and I tried to stop it too late. And I'll always feel responsible for that. No matter how much time passes. But Mary is a little kid. She has no idea what's happening to her. And she tried to protect her parents, even if it obviously didn't work. She needs someone to understand what it feels like to want to do anything possible to protect the people you love. I thought you, of all people, would understand that. I guess I was wrong."

"Hey!" Dean yelled, and Sam looked at him, discovering his older brother angry and with good reason. They hadn't fought like this in years. "I was doing all that to protect you. I only ever wanted to keep you safe. Excuse me for trying to keep you alive. Even when you tried to make a deal with Lilith without talking to me or went off with Ruby. Sam, this girl has got you wrapped around her finger. You'd probably step in front of a bus for her at this point, and that ain't healthy. I don't care whose kid she is anymore. You haven't even stopped to think about what she's doing to you. Just like Ruby."

Sam immediately tensed up, remembering the months he'd gone through without Dean and the year that had followed Dean's own resurrection. "That is not fair!" Sam countered. "I was a wreck, and she took advantage of me. I thought I was going something good for a change, and I didn't know she was working against me until the very end. How can you still hold that against me? I'm not stupid, Dean! I was grieving, for God's sake!"

Dean huffed, unyielding, and Sam inhaled deeply, calming himself slowly.

"This isn't going to help," he said quietly. "I know you're hesitant, and you have every right to be. After everything that's happened, we both have the right to be skeptical. But please. Trust me. I just have a feeling about this. Kind of like I did before," he reminded Dean of their defeat of Lucifer.

Though he obviously didn't want to give in, Dean conceded, bowing his head. "All right. But I'm not babysitting. I'm gonna have my hands full with this Demon stuff. So until further notice, you're on diaper duty."

Sam scoffed, laughing softly. "I seriously doubt I'm going to be changing diapers," he informed Dean.

Dean stood up promptly. "You know what I mean."

That ended the argument for the time being, and with little else, they began collecting their things, packing them back into the car to leave the motel they'd barely been inside for an hour. The hotel attendant looked at Dean funny when he came back to return the key, but with the "bill" paid, he said nothing as Dean left the office. Dean and Sam were back on the road before dawn, driving out of Syracuse to get out of the state before too much time passed.

* * *

Dean made the 20-hour drive from Syracuse to Sioux Falls in just under 10 — even with a stop in Chicago to get breakfast. They were both silent most of the way as Dean drove and Sam looked up more information on the Lilin.

The good news was that everything Cas had said was true. They were Lilith's children. The bad news was that was all Sam could find out on the subject. There was very little lore on the Lilin, and most of what Sam did find only repeated what he already knew. It was no wonder no one — not even Sam had thought of it when he'd met Mary. It proved she wasn't evil yet, especially since she'd tried to protect her parents. Whatever Cas knew, it was going to have to fill in a lot of holes. At least that's what Sam was hoping.

It was noon when Dean and Sam pulled into Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It had been over a week since they'd been here, and it hadn't been for any of the right reasons. They'd barely had any time to visit Bobby, even though they'd stayed nearby to keep an eye on things. Cas had actually been on some "secret" mission the last several weeks — Sam was just now realizing why. He wondered how Cas had been able to find them. Maybe it was because of Mary. But that also begged the question as to why Cas had been watching Mary.

The iron chain-link fence gate was now well-fortified with Devil's traps and Enochian sigils meant to keep out Angels. Cas was the only one able to pass through them, and it was only because he now knew ways around the rules of his limitations. He was always careful not to allow anyone uninvited into the Salvage yard. The road leading to the house was also lined with protective charms and sigils. Bobby was still kind of proud the place could still be of some use to their cause.

Dean approached the house slowly, spotting the one person he was dreading to see standing on the porch with a beer in his hand. The moment Dean saw him, he sighed heavily, glancing at Sam miserably.

Sam and Dean both got out of the car reluctantly, and Sam glanced at Dean before he moved toward the porch slowly, facing the house's newest occupant with regretful eyes.

"Sorry we couldn't call," Sam said softly.

"What else is new?" was the usual reply. Then he added, "She's inside."

"Thanks, Adam," Sam whispered apologetically, lifting his hand to his half-brother's arm and then moving inside the house slowly.

Dean followed, facing Adam silently and following Sam into the house where Cas was sitting at Bobby's desk with Mary, reading to her.

"President Clinton awarded the FBI agents the bronze star for their valor — citing an impossible situation that was handled both brilliantly and fortuitously to the benefit of all 100 passengers aboard flight 2485. Only seven passengers were injured, and all six of the hijackers were overpowered before any damage could be done to the cabin of the plane. The 747 landed safely outside Bethlehem, Pennsylvania this morning just after seven a.m."

"More bad news, Cas?" Dean asked sarcastically.

The oblivious look on Cas' face only intensified as he answered. "She slept a few hours upon arriving in the care of your half-brother, and when she woke, she asked about Sam. I saw fit to keep her distracted until your arrival. Is that not right for her benefit? She is, after all, only a child."

Dean only sighed, folding his arms stubbornly.

Mary seemed able to ignore the exchange, smiling up at Cas and then turning her attention to Sam. "Sam!" she exclaimed, leaving Cas' arms and sprinting across the room to where Sam was standing.

He lifted her in his arms automatically, like he'd been doing it for years. Dean was unimpressed, and as Adam entered the room, he spoke again.

"Okay, Cas," Dean announced. "We're here. We're all safe. What's going on?"

Cas was quiet for only a few seconds, rising slowly and speaking as he moved around to face Dean. "Perhaps," he began, "it would be best not to expose the child to anymore of this. She's seen enough for now."

Sam didn't release Mary, but Adam stepped forward after half a minute and spoke softly.

"I'll get her some lunch," he offered, and Sam reluctantly put Mary down. "Come on, Mary."

He took her hand, pulling her out of the room slowly. Cas waited until he was alone with Dean and Sam to speak again.

"I wasn't the one who found Mary," Cas told them, still looking at Dean. "She was still in her mother's womb when she was discovered. But when I was assigned to keep an eye on her, I knew what would need to be done. I also knew what would happen."

He stopped, and Sam spoke. "What happened?" he asked softly.

Cas stepped away from Dean, moving to lean against the front of Bobby's desk.

"Exactly what should have happened," Cas said unemotionally. "Her mother was physically drained throughout her pregnancy. She should have miscarried. It is what normally happened. Bearing a child of Lilith is never supposed to be easy for a Human. But Mary's mother was stronger than most. She was . . . special. She was able to carry Mary to term."

He stopped again, folding his arms over his chest. Sam glanced at Dean, wondering what happened next, and Dean spoke, confirming Sam's fears.

"She didn't make it, did she?" he asked. "Mary's mother died having her, didn't she?"

Cas bowed his head. "She did die. As most bearers do. But what happened next was most unexpected."

Another pause, and Sam spoke this time. "What did you not expect?" he asked.

"Love," Cas said simply. A few seconds passed, and he began again. "Mary's mother loved her, and with her dying breath blessed the baby with goodness and protection. We had no choice."

"What did you do?" Sam asked, glancing at Dean and then into the kitchen where Adam had disappeared with Mary.

"First, we had to make for certain she was worthy of protecting. We had to be certain of her purity, and once that was established, we moved her to a safe location until an appropriate family could be found to keep her. The Thompson's were a resourceful, reliable pair of hunters, unable to have children of their own and willing to help us — even if they were unaware of our identities at the time. We did not tell them of Mary's origins."

He stopped again, and Dean took his cue, speaking quietly. "Why?" he asked.

Cas looked at Dean. "Would you want to care for a child destined to be evil?"

"No, I mean, why protect her? If you knew she would become evil, why put her in a home with a family and a dog and a white picket fence? Why didn't you just kill her? If you knew. You wanted to kill Jesse. He was half-Demon."

"A mother's love is powerful," Cas said seriously. "And in this case, binding. And Mary's mother believed that if she was loved and protected, she wouldn't turn evil. By blessing Mary, she'd made it impossible for anyone to hurt Mary. Even one of us. Therefore we decided to protect her."

"How did her mother bless her?" Sam asked. "How did she even know how?"

"How do most humans bless anything?" Cas inquired. "And God was paying Humanity much more attention eight years ago, so of course, we were bound. And for eight years, she was completely hidden. She was a normal Human-looking child."

Neither Sam nor Dean wanted to find out how Mary had discovered, or at least been told, what she was. For all she'd known for the first eight years of her life, Mary had been a normal girl. She'd probably never once wondered if she was bad or caused bad things. Until now.

"When did that change?" Dean asked.

"About three weeks ago," Cas informed them.

Sam stood up straight, looking at Dean as he also made the connection. "That was when the kidnapings started," Sam remembered.

"Yes. It's part of the ritual to resurrect Lilith from death."

"Well, what's the ritual?" Dean asked.

"A child of Lilith must be bathed in the blood of six pure children, unpurified and defiled by a Servant of the Devil before she reaches adulthood at midnight on a Full Moon between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox — when the world is at rest but before it reawakens."

"The next Full Moon is in four days," Sam revealed. "Well, three and a half."

"So we have three and a half days to find out who these Demons are, find out where they are and how to kill them before they find Mary, deflower her and use her to bring Lilith back to life — or back from the dead, because let's not forget she was the one who freed Lucifer the first time," Dean reiterated.

"Yes," Cas agreed. "That is basically the list of transgressions about to occur. But we've hidden Mary from them. They'll have to search for her now, and their deadline will pass before they can find her. As long as nothing happens to her until then, we'll have more time to replace her with a new family — one that will be fully informed of her past and given the tools they will need to keep her safe."

"Right," Dean said, not believing it would be that simple. "Like I'm gonna sit around here and wait for them to come for her. We need to find these Demons, and we have to kill them. That's the only way any of us are going to be safe."

"But Dean," Sam interjected. "We don't know where to start. And we have just under 80 hours to figure out what's really going on. There's only two of us here who've even seen these things. One of them could show up here while we were away, and no one would know it. How are we going to find them?"

Dean looked around the room at the books lining the walls, and he looked at Cas. "We're in the best place to get that done," he said. "And Cas can tell us what he knows about the Lilin. Like what they're like when they're all grown up and not straight-out-of-the-womb dewey-eyed babies."

"I'll tell you what I can," Cas promised.

"Then let's get started. Right after lunch."

With that, he made a b-line to the kitchen where Adam was currently feeding Mary turkey sandwiches.

* * *

"When was the last time you went to the grocery store?" Dean asked, taking the last swig of his beer bottle. "Running low on supplies, little brother."

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me just take some money out of the safe and head on down there now," Adam said sarcastically. "Wait, I can't, because I don't have a job. Because I can't leave the house. Because Demons and Angels are after me."

Dean sighed heavily. "Smart ass."

"We'll go to the store for dinner," Sam interjected. "It's okay. And you can't leave the house. Because of the Demons and the Angels. It's only been four years, and we're just trying to be careful."

Adam sighed, rising with his own plate and carrying it to the sink. "So what is all this about?" he asked. "Why now?"

Sam looked at Dean, and they were both quiet for a few seconds before Cas spoke.

"The important thing is that we have to stop it. This plan cannot come to fruition, and no matter what happens, the Lilin cannot get their hands on Mary."

"Why do they want her?" Adam asked.

"Oh, same old, same old," Dean shrugged. "Demons are trying to bring back Lilith. End of the world. Pull Lucifer back out of his cage. Nothing new."

"It _is _new," Sam corrected. "This isn't about Azazel. No nuns are gonna be disemboweled this time. These things are looking for a little girl to use her. They don't care about her, and it's our job to protect her. No matter what."

Dean sighed shaking his head.

It was quiet a minute, maybe, and Cas spoke again.

"The main thing you have to know about Lilin," he began, "is they're all connected. They can sense each other, and they can communicate with each other. That's probably how the Lilin found Mary. When Lilin are children, they do it unconsciously. After she was told about this, Mary probably began thinking about it. And they sensed her."

"So all we have to do is make her stop thinking about her evil bitch siblings, and she'll be safe," Dean cracked. "Awesome."

Sam looked at Mary as she sat at the table quietly, her head hung low and her arms crossed over her middle like she'd been doing the day before. He sighed, moving from his chair to hers and lifting her in his arms to carry her from the kitchen.

No one said anything, but about a million more things needed to be said hung in the air, heavy with confusion, anger and condescension.

* * *

Sam carried Mary to an empty bedroom, sitting her on the bed and then sitting next to her as she spoke.

"This is my fault," she said.

"No, it isn't," Sam insisted.

"But my mom and dad are dead because of me. Because I wanted to keep them safe. I disobeyed."

Sam sat up straight. "Disobeyed who?" he asked.

Mary lifted her eyes to Sam's. "The lady in my dream. She told me not to leave my room. But I did, and she killed them."

"Did you see her, Mary?" Sam asked. "Did you see the Lady when she attacked?"

"No. But — "

"Then there wasn't anything you could have done," Sam told her. "She would have killed them anyway. You tried to protect them. You did something she wasn't expecting, and she had to rethink how to handle you. You're stronger than she is. You loved your parents, and you tried to keep them safe, just like they tried to keep you safe. They were your family. Now Dean and Adam and me are gonna be your family."

Mary bowed her head again. "Dean doesn't like me," she said softly.

"Dean doesn't trust the Demons who are doing this. He has a difficult time seeing grey. It's all black and white to him."

"And I'm grey?"

Sam couldn't keep from smiling, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Something like that. Listen, we're trying to figure this out. Even Dean. So just trust us, okay? And if you have any questions, just ask. I'll do my best to answer them. Okay?"

She nodded.

"Now stay up here for right now. Try to think about your parents. They'd want you to be safe. That's all we want. All right?"

"All right."

Sam leaned forward, lightly kissing Mary's forehead and then leaning back to look her in the eyes. For a few seconds, he didn't do anything. And then he stood up, leaving the room slowly with the door open.

As he stepped into the hallway, Sam took out his phone, scrolling through his contacts and getting to the S's and dialing the number he needed. A distinctively female voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey," Sam said, "it's me. Did you get my messages?"

"Yes," she admitted.

"And?"

"It's pretty radical, Sam. But I'll see what I can do. I won't make any promises."

"That's okay. Really. As long as you try."

She sighed softly. "You know I will. Even after eight years, of course, I'll try."

"Okay. Thanks. Bye."

"Bye, Sam."

He turned off his phone, moving to the stairs and returning to the kitchen where Adam was washing their dishes. Dean and Cas were back in Bobby's main room, but they weren't doing anything. Sam guessed they were both mulling over the current situation. Sam moved to Adam's side, speaking softly.

"So, how are you doin', seriously?" Sam asked his younger brother.

"Oh, I'm great," Adam said, sarcasm still laced through his voice. "Why wouldn't I be? I've been in this house for two years. I can't leave. I can't even go outside. Why wouldn't I be okay with that?"

"Do you want to die?" Sam asked. "Again."

Adam sighed heavily putting up the last dish and drying his hands. "No, Sam. I don't want to die. Ever again. But I can't even live! How am I supposed to not want to live?"

Sam looked into the other room where Dean was watching them. "Fair question. And if we could guarantee your safety, you wouldn't be here."

"You'll never be able to make me any guarantees, Sam," Adam exclaimed. "Whether I'm killed by a Demon or hit by a bus, at least it'd be on my terms and not theirs. I hate sitting here all day with nothing to do. Even Cas doesn't come around as often as he used to. You can't protect me forever."

"No," Sam agreed. "But we can try."

Adam scoffed, folding his arms over his chest stubbornly.

Sam sighed softly, speaking gently. "Just watch Mary," Sam pleaded. "We're trying to figure this out, okay?"

Adam shook his head, moving around Sam to go upstairs. "Whatever."

Sam watched him leave before he moved into the main room.

"We need to figure this out now," Sam said. "Demons will catch on to where Mary is pretty fast. So will the other Angels. I know there are still some hold-outs from Lucifer's defeat."

"None of the Angels," Cas began, "would be able to hurt Mary. They might not help, but they would not hurt her."

"Then we still need to find out how these Demons are going to use Mary to bring Lilith back," Sam pressed. He looked at Cas.

Two or three seconds passed, and Cas spoke. "The Lilin are not like Cambion. They are not part Demon or part-Human. They're born into creation as innocent creatures that lack the full capacity of their origins. They have a clean slate, if you wish to call it. But as they grow, it changes. They change."

"I thought you said most of these things don't ever get born," Dean said. "How can they grown and change?"

"I said most," Cas agreed. "But for every Hundred Lilin that die every day, one is changed. One survives. We don't know how. There are so few, but they do exist. We just don't know for certain. Mary was the last one to survive before Lilith went on her tirade to survive the apocalypse. If Lilith is resurrected, more would start to be born again. We can't let that happen."

"How do we keep it from happening?" Sam asked. "What's this ritual the Demons have to perform over her?"

"It must involve six pure children whose names will list the host of their sacrifice when killed in the order they were stolen. And their ages will combine numerically to facilitate the Chosen's transformation. Before the Full Moon. As I said before."

Dean looked at Sam.

"Their names and ages?" Sam asked.

"Yes," Cas confirmed.

Without waiting, Sam left and retrieved the files they'd collected in New York, bringing them into the main room and opening them up unceremoniously over Bobby's desk. Dean stood up to look with him, and as Sam listed the names and ages of the kidnaped girls, Dean wrote them down.

"The first girl to disappear was Lauren," Sam began. "She was six. The second girl, Diana was nine. The third, Silvia was seven. The fourth, Nadia was seven. The fifth, Lisette was nine. And the last girl, Annabeth was six."

It only took Dean a minute to add down the ages, discovering them to equal "8," and Sam took the names, listing them in order and almost immediately seeing "Lilith" pop out in front of his eyes. He sighed softly.

"It was staring us in the face the entire time," he said obviously.

Dean looked at Cas, and neither of them said anything.

* * *

_**The Lilin are real in Jewish Mythology, born from the union between Lilith and the demon Samael, who was believed to be a Fallen Angel, just like Lucifer. Check out Wikipedia for more details. I put my own little spin on it, so it'll fit with my story, just like they do with Supernatural. **_

_***Again, this has been re-edited, but hopefully not too noticeably from its original form. More re-edits are coming. And if you finish this story, you might want to read the sequel - **_**Progeny. _It's on my profile._**_**  
**_


	4. Heavenly Host

**Disclaimer: To all who read, I do not own Supernatural. I'm just a fan writing a story to entertain anyone who wants to be entertained. You've been forewarned!**

***I've re-edited this the best I possibly can - gone over it with a fine-tooth comb (literally). The story is the same. I've just taken own the typos I laid my eyes on while doing my re-edit. Hopefully, it'll be easier to read now.**

* * *

Three

**Heavenly Host.**

With Sam and Dean back in the house, they were able to buy food and supplies to last for a little while, and Sam carried Mary and Adam into town to buy dinner for the night and breakfast for the next morning — even if it was possible he and Dean wouldn't be eating there. He didn't tell that to either Adam or Mary. The less they knew, the safer they would be for the time being. They bought steaks and beer and cokes for Mary, returning to the house where Dean had already started up the grill with Cas standing by vigilantly.

"We shouldn't be outside for very long," Cas warned. "Even with the sigils in place, someone could still smell her. Her blood is potent. We can not be careless with her right now."

Dean said nothing as he and Sam began preparing the food for the grill. With the back yard fenced in inside the main yard's fence, Mary was already trying to make Adam play hide-and-seek with her. Though he was already 22, he was actually being a good sport about it, following her around the small yard and pretending to lose her even though he had her in his sight the entire time.

She wanted to eat on the back porch, but it was February, and Sam convinced her to eat in the kitchen where they'd eaten lunch — just to be on the safe side. Sam didn't want to talk about their discoveries around her, but without it, there was a very little else to talk about. Dean tried to ask Adam whether he'd seen anything strange the last few weeks, hoping that maybe the Demon had left signs in the area signaling increased activity. But Adam hadn't seen anything, even from his limited vantage point.

It got dark just after five, and Sam had Adam take Mary upstairs with a few books from Bobby's room so he, Dean and Cas could plan their next moves. Though Adam did so reluctantly, Sam knew it wasn't because he didn't want to be around Mary. Sam knew it was because he didn't like being out of the loop — not like he had been for the last two years. It was obvious that Adam had taken to Mary the same way Sam had. It clearly had nothing to do with Sam's past like Dean wanted to think.

"Our first move should be to find the kids without these Demons getting their hands on Mary," Dean decided. "If we do that, then getting rid of the Demons should be easy. Right?"

Sam agreed. "Yeah. If they don't have anything to sacrifice, then they shouldn't be able to complete their ritual. The only problem is that we don't know where the kids were taken. They could be anywhere."

"Well, won't they leave signs like normal Demons?" Dean asked.

"No," Cas said with finality. "These won't be your normal adversaries. Not if they're working under Lilith's command, and not if they're planning to bring her back. They'll be careful, and they won't easily be fooled."

"So what do we do?" Sam asked.

"Reconnaissance," Cas replied. "We have to make for certain the area is clear, and once that has been established, we can lay a trap. We have to wait this out," he pressed. "That's the only way we're going to get more time to figure out something else more permanent."

Though Dean obviously didn't like waiting around and doing nothing, he nodded, agreeing to the first two parts of Cas' statement. "We do need to sweep the area," he confirmed. He looked at Cas. "Stay here and keep an eye on Mary. Don't let her out of your sight. Adam too."

Cas stood up straight to face Dean. "I will guard them diligently. As always."

Dean looked at Sam. "Let's go," he ordered, picking up his bag and leaving the room with Sam behind him.

The drive across town was quiet, and Sam kept his eyes peeled for anything unusual. With it being almost dark, things had a tendency to stand out to him more, and Sam was sure it was the same with Dean. At that thought, Sam spoke.

"You know, none of this is Mary's fault," he said to which Dean sighed heavily. "She had no more control over this than her parents had over a Demon coming into their house and killing them."

"I don't want to talk about this, Sam," Dean argued. "Not now. We gotta focus, so let's just check everything over and get back to the house. Okay?"

Sam sighed heavily too, looking out the window as it began snowing.

* * *

Castiel made his second walk up the stairs around eight p.m., keeping an eye on the windows and sensing all around him in the event someone tried to sneak up on them. In the last three years, after he'd regained all of his angelic abilities, he'd gotten very good at sniffing out his own kind before they got very close.

Adam had since brought Mary down to Bobby's main room, and she was currently sleeping on the cot Adam had awoken on three years earlier after being resurrected as leverage to make Dean agree to being the Archangel Michael's vessel. Adam didn't like thinking of what had happened at a result, but at least he'd lived. The same couldn't be said about a lot of other people.

The upstairs was clear for the moment, and Castiel made his way back downstairs as a heavy knock came at the back door. Castiel thought it was odd, but he sensed no threat, moving to open the door and discovering a tall, lean, dark-haired young man in the doorway. Based on Dean and Sam's memory, Castiel recognized the man immediately, but the moment he spoke, he knew something was wrong.

"John Winchester," he said, and the young man grinned.

"Not exactly," he replied, his voice certain and articulated the way Castiel's was. The young man's grin changed to an expression of knowledge and antiquity.

Castiel stood up straight, grasping onto the door's handle. "Michael."

The young man tipped his chin up in acknowledgment.

* * *

"How is this possible?" Castiel asked even as Michael stepped into the kitchen and looked around. "John Winchester is dead. His remains were burned. Why are you here?"

Michael grinned again, easing closer to the main room where Mary and Adam were sitting. "Even I still have some pull with my Father, after what happened anyway. I liked this vessel once, and when I sensed the child, it was only one of the favors I was able to call in." Michael turned to Castiel. "Your senses have been dulled by your Human charges."

"On the contrary," Castiel stated, meeting John Winchester's green eyes with his vessel's own blue eyes. "You simply take too many risks. Mary's been hidden from you, and me. How did you find her?"

"I smelled her, of course," Michael revealed, to which Castiel exhaled heavily. "A child of Lilith gives off a rather powerful scent, and with her still being innocent, picking up her trail was only too easy."

"How are you here?" Castiel pressed, remaining in front of Michael. "The area is protected. Only I know how to pierce the defenses."

"As I said, I was able to call in a few favors to my Father."

"And what about John Winchester's body? Are you going to return him to his time when you're finished with him?"

Michael turned back to the main room, laying his gaze on Mary and advancing slowly. "Oh, I'll do better than that. He'll return to his own time with barely a headache. I could have possessed Adam Milligan, but I decided against it since he was already in the house. I like to be invited in, and you don't live here. All you had to do was open the door."

Castiel moved quickly, stepping between Michael and the main room again. "Former Host of Heaven or not, you have no real reason to be here," he told Michael. "And you presence here will only alert them to her whereabouts. You're better off observing from a distance."

Michael smiled coldly, warranting the attention of Mary's other protector. "I'm not leaving now that I've come," he told Castiel as Adam entered the kitchen. "And you aren't the only one who was assigned to watch her. She's had many of us hiding her, including me and Gabriel before he died. I have as much right and reason to be here as you."

"What's going on?" Adam asked, looking at Michael and clearly recognizing his vessel since it was Adam's father as he stood in the kitchen between them. He looked Michael in the eyes, speaking softly. "Dad?"

"This is not your father, Adam," Castiel stated.

Realization flickered in Adam's eyes as he watched Michael grin, and he stepped closer to the Archangel as he wore his father's younger body. "You've got a lot of nerve showing your face around here," Adam warned, his nostrils flaring gently.

Michael seemed unaffected, staring Adam in the eyes without wavering. "That very well may be," he agreed. "But I am here. And I'm not leaving. I've been watching Mary since she was in her mother's womb. Surely, I have more right to be here than you do, since you met her less than 24 hours ago."

Adam glanced at Castiel, but the Angel said nothing.

Michael stepped through them both, moving into the main room where Mary was sleeping. "She's grown since last I saw her," Michael said, squatting next to the cot. "Wouldn't you say, Castiel?"

"Children grow at an alarming rate when they're her age," Castiel remarked. "Of course she looks like she's grown to you. When was the last time you saw her before you left for War? When she was five?"

Michael's demeanor didn't change as he remained close to Mary, and he extended his hand, allowing his palm to hover over her face less than an inch from her skin. Adam tried to move closer to them, but an invisible barrier stopped him.

"Don't touch her," he ordered, to which Michael glanced over his shoulder at him.

"And what will you do?" Michael taunted. "I could snap your neck with a mere thought. You have no right to threaten me. I will touch her whenever I like. Besides," he said, looking at Mary, "she's still protected by her mother's love. As she will be until she reaches adulthood. I couldn't hurt her even if I wanted to. Which I don't, not even in the slightest."

Castiel turned his eyes to Adam's, shaking his head and silently telling Adam to back off. Then he looked at Michael, watching the Archangel ease his finger down the width of Mary's forehead and her nose. "I'm calling Dean," he announced, stepping away from Adam to leave the room silently.

Castiel pulled a small, silver cell phone from his coat pocket and opened it to dial Dean's number. Dean's gravelly voice answered after only one ring.

"Cas, what's wrong?" he asked immediately.

"You have to return to the house now," Cas ordered.

"Why? What's happened?"

Castiel glanced over his shoulder, watching Michael touch Mary's cheek lightly. "It's probably best that I not say this until you've returned to the house. But just come back. Now."

"We're on our way," Dean promised.

Castiel turned off the phone, returning to the main room as Adam watched Michael handle Mary helplessly. The youngest Winchester looked at Castiel pleadingly.

"He's coming, right?" he whispered.

Castiel nodded.

"She's strong," Michael said absently, allowing his hand to hover over Mary from less than an inch away. "So much stronger than I expected for her age." He smiled, looking at Castiel. "Certainly, you've felt as much."

"What I've felt is no concern of yours. You might not want to be here when Dean comes. If you thought Adam was angry."

Michael didn't move, his hand now hovering over Mary's legs. "Oh, I'm sure Dean will be furious. Even with his reluctance to bend. But he'll want to hear what I have to say. What you should have told him when you found her with them."

Castiel glanced at Adam, but he said nothing, watching Michael carefully. Then he spoke softly to Adam. "Remain here. Don't let him out of your sight. I'll be outside."

Adam nodded silently, and Castiel turned to leave again.

"You won't be able to stop what's about to happen," Michael stated, now looking at Castiel over his shoulder. "You'll want to because of your attachment to her, but that won't make it any more possible. You should know that before you do something stupid."

Castiel said nothing, leaving the room and then the house to wait for Dean.

If the ten hours Castiel had waited through seemed to last too long before, the fifteen minutes it took Dean and Sam to get back to the house felt like an eternity. With Michael nearby, Castiel was having to fight most of his deep-rooted instincts telling him to be afraid. It was true that Michael now commanded most of Heaven in his Father's efforts to clean up the mess they'd all made, but it was also clear that he was just as drawn to Mary as anyone else — coming here in the middle of all this only proved that even more.

And if Castiel had told Dean of Mary's true intentions, it would have skewed his efforts to protect her even more than Sam's reaction already had. Dean was still a very untrusting man, and he preferred to fight things he could understand. The fact that Mary had already caused Sam and Adam to react to her only compounded the way Castiel was feeling. It meant he had that many more people to protect, and for several different reasons. Castiel could see that Dean was struggling against his loyalties and his feelings. That was all about to change. Again.

The sound of the Impala racing toward the house caught Castiel's attention from more than a mile away, and he made his way to the dirt road as it wove its way through the old junkyard. He wanted Dean to hear this from him first, and he hoped Dean would listen. He also hoped Sam didn't act hastily when he found out that the Archangel who'd tried to kill him was currently hovering over Mary like he was about to have her way with her.

As soon as Castiel saw the Impala, he looked at the house, and when Dean stopped in front of him, he looked at the car. Dean and Sam got out together, immediately on point.

"What's going on?" Sam asked. "Mary's still here, isn't she?"

Castiel nodded. "She is. But you both have to know this before you go inside. He's here."

Dean leaned closer, his eyebrows raised into his forehead. "Who, Cas? What's happening here?"

"You have to understand. I needed you to protect her. And it didn't matter how she would affect either of you, as long as she was protected from the Lilin looking for her. But he caught her scent, and now he's here."

"Who?" Sam asked. "Who's here?"

Castiel sighed heavily. "Michael is here."

The look of confusion and anger that crossed both Sam and Dean's faces was exactly what Castiel expected, but it was Dean who acted first, hurrying to the house with Sam behind him. Castiel followed slowly.

"Hey!" Dean yelled upon entering the house and then hurrying into the main room where Michael was still squatted next to the cot Mary laid on asleep. "Get the hell away from her, you self-serving dick!"

Michael smiled, rising to face Dean as Sam followed. "Dean," he said, and the look of astonishment on both their faces was enough to make the Archangel laugh. "You look well."

"What the hell?" Sam exclaimed. "Dad?"

Michael looked at Sam, and he flinched. It was understandable since the last time they'd seen Michael, it had not gone well.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Dean demanded. "How in the hell?"

Michael remained calm, still smiling as he spoke. "What am I doing in your Dad? Again? How did I get him to say yes to me a second time? It's quite simple. He didn't remember the first time, of course. And I told him I could save his children. It only made sense for him to trust me. And I wasn't exactly lying, since you're even deeper in this now than you were the last time."

"Sam, take her upstairs," Dean ordered.

Sam didn't wait, moving around Michael and lifting Mary from the cot to carry her upstairs, and Michael spoke as he left the room.

"You'll want to hear what I'm going to say, Sam," Michael told him, but he kept walking, taking Mary with him.

Michael looked at Dean, his smile fading slightly. "You won't be able to protect her. No one will. You'll just prolong it until it becomes inevitable. Is that what you want?" He stepped closer to Dean. "Actually, I'll tell you want you want. It's what Sam wants. And it's what Adam wants. Even Castiel wants it, though he would never admit it. You all want to protect her. You're all willing to give your lives for her. And you want to know why? Because that's what she does. She's seduced all of you."

* * *

Though Sam had really only had a day's worth of practice, he thought he was getting relatively good at this parenting thing. He didn't know if it was because of Mary or if he really had the instincts of a father, but he wasn't really concerned about that right now. All he was really worried about was Mary. Whether Cas had wanted them to protect her honestly or not, Sam was sure she would be no less deserving. She was just as innocent in all of this as any child who had no control over what was happening to her.

Mary stirred as Sam laid her down over the bed, and he sat at her side, taking her hand in his.

"Sam, who is that man downstairs?" she asked softly.

"Did you see him?" Sam asked, caressing her forehead gently.

"In my dream. He said he was going to help me."

Sam sighed softly, glancing back at the door before he spoke to her. "Don't worry about him, okay, Mary? Whether he's here to help or not, we're the ones who are trying to protect you. And we don't really know why he's here. So just stay up here, sleep, and I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

She nodded, and Sam leaned over her, kissing her forehead.

He stood up slowly, leaving and closing the door behind him. Once he was in the hallway, Sam pulled out his phone again, dialing the number he'd dialed before leaving earlier even though he knew it was late.

"Hello?" the feminine voice from earlier asked.

"Hey," he said softly, "it's me."

"Sam, it's late."

"I know," he admitted. "I just wanted to call you. To tell you. Things have gotten complicated, and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine, Sam. What's going on?"

"Don't worry about it right now," he pleaded. "Just keep your eyes open. And I'll call you when I can. It might be a few days though."

"Are you okay?"

"No," he said with a heavy sigh. "But I don't worry about me. Hopefully, this will all be over in a few days."

"Okay, Sam. Be careful."

"I will. Thanks. Bye."

He turned off his phone, replacing it in his back pocket and then pulling his pocket knife out of his front pocket. Even if the Angel downstairs was Michael, Sam could get rid of him. They didn't have time for his games right now.

Sam made his way downstairs thinking of the last time he's seen Michael. It obviously hadn't been while he was possessing Sam's father, but it hadn't gone well anyway. Maybe that's why he didn't want to trust the Archangel. Whatever the reason he was here today, Sam was sure it couldn't be just to help. The Angels always had ulterior motives, and some of those motives had gotten a lot of people killed. There was really no excuse for that anymore. And Mary was just a kid. It didn't matter why Michael was here, not even if he said he could save her. Angels were just as bad as Demons sometimes.

* * *

"Clearly, Castiel didn't give you all the information you needed to know about the Lilin," Michael said as Sam entered the room. "Especially where her effect on you is concerned. I can see it when I look at you."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, well, I still fail to see where that has anything to do with you. So why don't you vacate my Dad's body and hit the Highway to Heaven before I send your ass packing myself!"

Michael grinned, glancing at Sam. "Anger is just side effect, Dean. You're trying to fight Mary's influence over you, and you're failing. And this has more to do with me than you could possibly imagine. I simply wanted you to understand how all your efforts to protect her will prove to be futile. After all, you can't change what she is."

Dean glanced at Adam and Cas, noting their silent demeanor. He inhaled deeply, averting his eyes to Sam's. "So what do you know?" Dean asked annoyingly. "What light can you shed on the situation we're in right now? Other than the fact that you're apparently the only one who knows this little tidbit of information."

Michael folded his arms over his chest. "Castiel told you she's innocent in the womb, and throughout most of her life until she's grown. But what he didn't tell you is that she also has survival instincts that are so internal that even she doesn't realize she's utilizing them. Adult Lilin are ruthless when it comes to surviving. They will do anything to ensure their own safety — even kill one of their own kind."

"And exactly why does that mean that Mary's 'seduced' any of us?" Dean asked, unwilling to believe anything the Archangel had to say about a little girl so scared she barely spoke or defended herself against any danger. "I don't feel any different," Dean added.

"You wouldn't," Michael informed him, looking at Castiel and Adam before he again glanced at Sam. "Her imprinting is gradual. It usually takes several hours of continued contact for her to form a bond, and clearly, Adam, Sam and Castiel have spent plenty of time with her to do just that. You're only resisting because of your attitude. But she's already begun to bond with you. Why else would you react so strongly to my presence here?"

"Because you're a lying sack of shit, and I don't trust you any farther than I can throw you," Dean said plainly. "After everything you've done to this family, you can't honestly expect me to believe anything you say — about a Demon or a friggin' hole in the wall. And if I have to listen to your sanctimonious crap for another second, I think I just might hurl."

Dean stood up from where he'd settled against Bobby's desk, glancing at Adam again and making his way across the room to leave.

"Dean, wait," Cas pleaded. Dean stopped, standing less than a foot away from Michael without looking at anyone in the room. "He is telling the truth about Mary. There is something about her that allows her to imprint on the people around her. And it is a survival instinct. But it's only used for Malice when Lilin are raised by Demons. Mary was raised by Humans. She has no intent for Malice."

"For now," Michael added. "But as she grows older, her natural instincts will begin to manifest. Why do you think she was trying to protect the hunters who were keeping her?"

Dean looked at Michael, seeing his father's eyes and using every ounce of strength he had not to punch him.

"She's a little girl," Sam argued. "They were her parents. She was trying to protect them because she loved them. And all they wanted was to keep her safe."

"Believe that if you want to," Michael taunted. "But Castiel knows the truth. He knows exactly why Mary was in that room with them, and it has nothing to do with protecting them. No matter what she says, her instincts will always win when her safety is put in jeopardy. And the Lilin looking for her know she'll always want to protect herself before anyone else."

"So why was she trying to protect her parents?" Dean asked, his gravelly voice low with anger. "Since you seem to have more insight on this than the rest of us."

"It was a survival move, of course," Michael stated obviously. "And a possessive one, at that. Since Mary _was_ raised by humans, her motives changed because of the values instilled in her. Instead of hatred, she acts on love. Instead of spite and revenge, she believes in truth and balance. Those people were her property. She protected, or tried to protect them, because she felt they belonged to her, not because she loved them. Not really. It's all she knows. To protect what's hers."

"You're wrong," Sam insisted. "If that was true, it wouldn't have affected her the way it did. And she wouldn't have been so scared. You just think you know what's going on with her, because you're a control freak."

Michael smiled knowingly, lifting his eyes toward the ceiling but saying nothing for several seconds. Then he laughed. "Like I said. Believe what you want. Doesn't make it any more true."

* * *

"_Mary, sweetie."_

It was bright and warm when she opened her eyes, and the park her mom usually took her to was completely deserted except for her and the lady she'd seen before — the one who'd told her to stay away from her parents' room. She looked the same as she had before, her brown hair pulled back into a braid and her pretty green eyes twinkling brightly.

She smiled when she saw Mary, her teeth so white it seemed impossible for her to be anything bad. She held out her hand to Mary, beckoning her forward and then squatting in front of her.

"_I was wondering when I would see you again."_

Her voice was smooth like honey, but smoky and inviting the way Mary's mother's had been. She touched Mary's face gently, easing a strand of her hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear. Her voice echoed, like she was inside a gigantic dome, even though they were outside. Mary thought that was strange.

"_I've been looking for you. But you're not where I thought you'd be."_

"I'm with friends," Mary replied, even as she took Mary's hand and pulled her to a park bench nearby.

Her smile faded slightly. _"Are those friends boys?"_

Mary nodded. "I like them. They're taking care of me."

"_Oh, I know it seems that way. But I promise you, honey, they don't care about you. They don't trust you. And they'd sooner kill you if they thought you were a threat to them. It's all they know what to do with ones like us."_

"Because they're boys?"

She smiled again. _"Because they're Human. And they destroy everything they touch. Look at what happened to those Humans raising you. They didn't trust you. They kept you locked up at night."_

"They loved me," Mary argued.

"_They left you. They'll all leave you. But I won't. I promise. And neither will the others."_ She smiled again, caressing Mary's cheek._ "They're all excited to see you. It's been so long since we welcomed a new sister."_

Mary suddenly felt cold, shivering as she leaned closer and laid her lips over Mary's forehead.

"_Mary, sweetie, please tell me where you are. There's nothing more I want than to bring you home."_

"Home?"

She nodded.

Mary thought silently about Sam and Dean. She wondered if they would be upset with her. She knew she wasn't really supposed to think about the ones like her. The bright Angel and Adam would be worried. But Mary had never met any of her family before, since her mom and dad had told her she wasn't really theirs. She knew they loved her, no matter what anyone said. But she couldn't remember ever wanting anything more.

She looked at the pretty lady again.

* * *

The lights flickered quickly three times, and Dean and Sam were immediately on point, looking around for whatever was coming. But all Michael did was grin and look up again. Sam noticed, and Dean looked at Cas.

"Check on Mary," he ordered, and Cas disappeared, upstairs to the room where Mary was supposed to be sleeping.

Within two seconds, Cas yelled back down to the room. "She's gone!"

"Gone?" Dean exclaimed.

Cas reappeared in the room, blowing paper around with him. "Gone," he repeated.

"I told you," Michael said. "You won't be able to stop this. It's in Mary's blood to seek out her siblings, few as they may be. You won't ever be able to find her. You might as well consider her lost now."

Dean huffed, clenching his fists and glaring into his father's eyes. "Sam!"

Michael turned to face Sam, grinning, and within the second half of that second, Sam exposed his bloody palm and slapped his hand against the wall out of Michael's view where he'd drawn the Banishing sigil to the wall. A bright, white-blue light flooded the room, clearing it of Michael and unfortunately Cas within another split second.

Once the papers settled, Sam, Dean and Adam all looked at each other, unsure of what to do next.

"Damn it," Dean hissed, moving to Bobby's desk.

"Just stay calm," Sam pleaded.

"Calm?" Dean exclaimed. "How am I supposed to be calm? The Demon Bitches have their set piece! What the hell are we supposed to do now?"

"We still have time before the full moon," Sam reminded him. "They can't do anything until then."

"They won't hurt her, will they?" Adam asked from the opposite end of the room. "She's just a little girl."

Sam sighed, moving to Adam's side and squeezing his shoulder gently. "No, they won't hurt her," Sam assured him. "They need her. It's going to be okay. We have time. We will find her. I promise."

Adam bowed his head, folding his arms over his chest.

After a thorough walk-through upstairs and the room Mary had been sleeping in, Dean and Sam were sure who'd taken her.

"Sulfur on the floor next to Mary's bed," Dean reported as he and Sam got back to the first floor. "Demons got to her."

"So how are we going to find her?" Adam asked as he leaned against Bobby's desk. "We don't even know who these demons are."

Both Sam and Dean looked at each other, and it was clear they were thinking the same thing.

"We need to look at everything we know," Sam said moving to where all their information was still setting. "There has to be something here pointing to where they could have taken Mary. We will find it. We will find Mary, and then we will kill these demons. Before they can do anymore damage."

"How?" Adam asked.

Sam could only sigh, sifting through their papers again.

* * *

It was dawn before Dean, Sam and Adam finally stopped pacing Bobby's front room. They'd spent the entire night going over Mary's files and all the lore about Lilith, but so far, nothing was really jumping up and biting. And it didn't help that there was virtually no information about the Lilin other than what they already knew. Even Dean had to admit it was looking grim.

Sam decided to make breakfast, scrambling a few eggs with bacon and brewing some coffee before they all sat down to eat.

"There's got to be something we're not picking up on," Dean said over his plate. "Did Cas say anything before we got here yesterday?" he asked Adam.

"He just told me what was going on. He knew where Bobby was, so as soon as he put Mary down, he started looking through Bobby's books. But there wasn't anything new." Adam paused, it appeared, thinking quickly. "He just kept saying it had to be somewhere."

Sam looked up from his own food. "What had to be where?" he asked.

Adam appeared to think on it heavily, silent for only a few seconds before he looked at Sam. "A map."

"What did he say about where it was supposed to be?" Dean asked. "Why didn't he tell us about it last night? He had plenty of opportunity!"

"I don't know!" Adam exclaimed. "Maybe he didn't think it was here after all."

"And why didn't you tell us?" Dean demanded. "This is the end of the world we're talking about here, Adam. This is important! Yet again."

"I didn't remember it until now! The guy who used me to end the world as we know it showed up, and I got a little distracted!"

"Hey!" Sam yelled over both of them. "Stop it! That's not gonna help anything. And it's sure as hell not gonna help Mary." He paused, looking at Adam again. "Cas was looking for a map. A map to what?"

"What have we been looking for?" Adam reminded Sam. "The Lilin and where they're taking Mary. Cas said it had to be here somewhere, but he didn't say what it was, where it was, or how to find it. He kept — he kept saying, 'the beginning.' It would be at the beginning. But he never elaborated, and I was too busy freaking out to ask him what it meant. I'm sorry," he shouted at Dean.

"Okay," Sam said. "It's okay. We've all gone through this. We're on edge. We haven't slept. It's okay. Let's just think for a minute. I mean, beginning of what?"

"He never said," Adam continued. "He just kept saying it over and over."

Sam looked at Dean, prompting the elder Winchester to speak.

"Maybe it's Lilith," Dean said. "Her beginning. Didn't she climb out of the Devil's Gate in Wyoming?"

"Yeah," Sam said, glancing at Adam. "But that was after Mary was already born. Is it possible she had this going before she got out?"

"There's no way of knowing for sure," Dean concluded. "There's probably a million different places they could be, and we have no idea where to start looking. Let me be the first to say that this sucks."

It was quiet for several more minutes, and then Adam spoke softly. "What about Mary's beginning?" he asked, looking at Sam and then Dean.

Sam looked at Dean. "What do you think?" he asked his older brother. "Is it possible?"

Dean thought about it for another few seconds. "It's the best we got so far."

"Where was Mary born?" Adam asked softly.

Sam got up from the table abruptly, hurrying into the front room and retrieving Mary's papers from the group home where Mary had stayed. He laid out all of her records on the table between the plates of food, and together, they all looked over adoption papers that were blank, hospital records that were blacked out and school records that were half-empty. At first, they thought it was useless. Then Adam found her birth certificate, discovering that most of the fields had been completed the day Mary had been born, November 2, 2005.

The moment Sam saw Mary's birthdate, he cursed under his breath, staring at the paper otherwise silent and then clenching his jaws as Dean took the paper.

"Where was she born?" Dean asked. He scanned the paper, speaking after a few seconds. "New Hope, Minnesota. Well, that's ironic if anything ever was."

Adam spoke then. "Didn't you find Lilith the first time in New Harmony, Indiana?" he asked softly.

Dean sighed. "Yeah. Inside a little girl terrorizing her family and with Demons guarding the entire block. I don't think this will be like that."

"Why not?" Adam asked.

Dean looked at Sam, and together, they sighed heavily. "Because they probably know what happened there," Dean told Adam. "And since Lilith was doing that for fun, we have to guess that this is business. Her minions will break out the big guns for this one. We need to check for omens in the area, and maybe that'll give Cas time to get back. Sam, keep looking through Mary's papers and find out how far away New Hope, Minnesota is from here." Dean looked at Adam. "You know what to look for. I've gotta make a phone call," he said getting up from the table and stepping out the side door.

Adam looked at Sam. "Do you tink they'd really go back to Mary's birthplace? Is that what all this is about?"

Sam inhaled deeply, pulling out his laptop and doing a search on New Hope, Minnesota to find a map. "I honestly don't know, but there's only one way to find out. Get on the web; check for omens. We'll go from there."

Adam stood up slowly, retrieving his own computer from the front room and beginning his own search.

* * *

The moment Dean stepped outside into the cold mid-morning air, he inhaled as deep as he possibly could, feeling uncomfortable with his situation for the first time in three years. And since everything had started back up again, Dean hadn't stopped to think about it. He had a job to do, and he was one of only a handful of people who could get it done. That was just the reality of the job. But that didn't mean he had to give himself over to it completely — not like he'd done before. Never like he'd done before.

So when he stepped out of the house and pulled out his phone, he walked a good distance from the front porch, hitting his speed dial and lifting his phone as it began to ring. The moment he heard Lisa's voice, everything bad just seemed to fade away for a minute.

"Hello?"

"Lisa, it's me."

She sighed softly. "Dean, where are you? You were supposed to be back by now."

He inhaled again, looking around. "I know. This thing came up, and Sam and me had to act quick."

"What else is new?" he asked, a lot like Adam had the day before.

Dean chuckled softly. "Yeah, I guess so. What's Ben doing?"

"Wondering where you are. You were supposed to take him to karate yesterday. He was worried."

Dean turned back to the house. "I'm okay. I think. And I'll make it up to him. I'll go to karate with him when I get back. I'll even dress out and let him kick my butt. How's that?"

Lisa laughed softly over the phone. "He'll definitely take you up on that." She paused, speaking after half a minute. "Dean, is everything okay? What is this thing? Is it dangerous?"

He didn't want to lie to her, but he knew if he told her the truth she would worry. And he didn't want her to worry about him when she had others to think about. Dean could take care of himself.

"It's fine, I promise. Sam and me are just working this like we always do, trying to figure out what to do next. Lisa," he said, thinking of the words in his head and trying to make them come out right, "you're a girl — "

She laughed. "That's very observant of you," she teased.

"And you know a lot about emotions and stuff like that," he continued. "If you were eight and in a real bad situation where you could get hurt without really meaning to, would you do anything to prevent it, or would you do it because you thought it would keep other people safe? Even if you didn't come out clean."

She didn't say anything for a minute, and Dean thought he hadn't said it right. But then she spoke. "I guess that would depend on the situation," she decided. "Kids are funny that way, Dean. They love unconditionally. But they also hate unconditionally. And they don't always know the right thing to do, or the right person to trust. Why are you asking?"

Dean hesitated. He didn't really want her to know the specifics of the job they were working on, but he needed advice, and she was the one with the kids. She could tell him what to do. At least, he hoped she could tell him what to do.

"Sam and I were looking into these disappearances in New York, and we found this little girl. She's eight. Her name's Mary, and she's in trouble. And I really want to help her. I do. But I'm worried that if Sam and I do this, it'll cost us further down the road, you know. Like it did last time. And she's beautiful, Lisa," he revealed, his voice breaking slightly. "She reminds me of you. But she's scared, and no kid should ever be that scared. I don't know what to do, Lisa."

Lisa was quiet for a couple of minutes, and Dean knew she was thinking about what he'd just said. He hoped she would see it from a mother's point of view. He really needed to know what a real parent would do, because right now, he felt completely helpless. Dean never liked feeling helpless.

"Dean," she said softly, "children are innocent. They're vulnerable. Given the right environment, some kids never lose that innocence. And they're always vulnerable. If this little girl needs you to keep her safe, then you have to do everything in your power to keep her safe. Even if that means taking a chance in the future. You once told me that it was worth more to live your life now, when it matters what happens immediately and not a few years down the road. This little girl deserves the same chance Ben had. And if you can save her, then that's what you need to do."

Dean blew out the breath he'd been holding in, not having heard Lisa's voice in over a week. "I hate it when you're right," he teased, grinning as he turned back to the house and saw Sam on the porch.

"It's the price you pay for asking my advice," she shot back. "Dean, whatever you do, please be safe yourself."

"You know I'll do my best. Bye, Lisa."

"Bye, Dean."

For several seconds, Dean stood still, holding his phone and easing his finger over the screen where her picture was still displayed. He wondered what she'd been doing when he'd called, because he was sure she would stop doing that and start to worry about him now. She always did, and more than anything, Dean had really want to avoid that. With her being so far into her pregnancy, he hoped she knew to stay calm and not stress too much about him. Dean told her all the time that he could take care of himself.

Dean made it to the porch as Sam spoke, pocketing his phone and easing up the steps to face his brother.

"New Hope, Minnesota is four and a half hours away," Sam reported. "Maybe less. And Adam found Omens everywhere in the area for the last few weeks. The Demons have been there for almost three weeks — the same amount of time passed since the first girl disappeared. But they're all over the place. There's no way of knowing where in town they're keeping Mary or the other girls."

Dean sighed, thinking about what Lisa had said and knowing he was running out of time to find Mary so she would be safe. He knew Sam and Adam wanted her safe even more than he did, but he was the oldest. And he'd been in plenty of stupid situations to know that Sam was the one who needed to be on the outside. That could really only mean one thing.

"Okay," he said to Sam, stepping passed him onto the porch and then inside the house.

* * *

"Dean, that's crazy," Sam exclaimed as he, Dean and Adam all sat around Bobby's front room after having heard Dean's plan. "There's absolutely no guarantee that'll work, and we don't really know for sure that's where Mary is. Why take the risk?"

"Because we're running out of time," Dean said plainly. "And with Michael being here, it only means this is more serious than we thought. I know I wasn't very enthusiastic with this idea when you suggested it before, but we _are_ the only ones who can keep Mary safe. And the longer we sit here and debate over this, the worse it's gonna be when we do find her."

Sam sighed heavily, glancing at Adam as he sat by silently. "But putting yourself in their line of fire? Getting caught by a Demon? How do you know they won't kill you on the spot?"

Dean also looked at Adam, thinking of the first time he'd met his half-brother – at least when he hadn't been a Ghoul. Dean knew what it felt like to be used, and so did Adam. It didn't matter what Dean had to do. He wasn't going to let that happen to Mary. She was just a kid. "I don't know that," Dean told Sam gravely. "For all I know, this probably won't work. But if it does, and I find Mary, you gotta find us and get us out of there. All of us. Those kids they took, and me and Mary. I know you can do it, Sam."

"I don't like it," Sam pressed. "These aren't normal Demons, and we still don't know how to get rid of them. Even if I find you, how am I going to save you? We don't know if exorcism will work. We don't know if the Colt or Ruby's knife will work. Seriously, Dean, what are we going to do?"

"You're gonna do what John taught you to do," they all heard and turned to see Bobby there with Cas. "You're gonna stop these Demons, and you're gonna save those girls."

Sam glanced at Dean, and Bobby moved into the room with Cas behind him.

"Hey, Bobby," Sam said as he bowed his head.

"Cas filled me in on the way," Bobby said, moving across his front room to a set of bookshelves against the east wall. "Wish you'd called me. I coulda been a little help," he told them, pulling a book from the shelf and opening it almost all the way to the back. "Dealin' with Lilith again ain't gonna be a walk in the park, but I think I know what'll do the trick."

"But Lilith was too powerful for anything to work the last time," Sam told Bobby. "I had to drink Demon blood to do it."

Bobby eased his fingers down the page in front of him, skimming a paragraph and then putting the book up before he moved to another shelf. He moved his finger along the shelf, obviously not finding what he was looking for and then turning to the cot where Mary had been sleeping the night before. Adam had brought down the books they'd had up in the room Mary had been taken from, and when Bobby picked one of them up, he again turned the book almost all the way to the back.

"That's right," he said to Sam, turning the book to the middle Winchester and pointing to a passage in the middle of the page. "But Lilin can be killed by their own kind. By an incantation most of us would use on a low level Demon. Your blood isn't strong enough, but hers is."

Sam read the passage, seeing most of the information familiar but noting a series of Latin invocations that looked a lot like a typical exorcism. "Mary can kill these Demons?" he asked Bobby. "She's eight."

"And she hasn't been hanging around them her whole life," Dean added. "How would she be strong enough to take them out?"

"By using something stronger than the hate and evil they would have taught her had they raised her," Cas told them, now standing at Bobby's side. "Forget what you know about Mary. Forget what I told you, and forget what Michael told you. Think of Mary as an empty vessel. She can be filled with Good or Evil, and depending of who instills those values in her, her strength would be determined by positive or negative reinforcement. Her parents loved her, and they taught her to be Good. Like your father taught you and Sam. Love is the most powerful creation humanity has ever made, and it can defeat a lot of Evil. The things you're feeling for Mary are real. Use that to your advantage."

Dean looked at Sam and Adam, knowing what he was suggesting and realizing what they all needed to do. "Look, I don't like it," he said to Sam. "And I know how much of a long shot it really is. But she is just a little girl, and if we can save her and prevent her from becoming one of them, then I think it's worth it. I mean, come on, it's not like we haven't sacrificed each other for a family member before, right?"

Sam looked at Adam, and they both reacted the same to the word "family." Dean realized what he wanted now, and he knew they wanted it too. It was just a matter of letting it happen. Even if the Demons were expecting this, Dean had to do it.

"What do we need to do?" Adam asked.

Dean and Sam looked at him, and normally, they would have left him here to keep him safe. But Adam spoke again before they could protest.

"I want to help," he insisted. "And you can't protect me forever. I'll do something simple, and you can do all the work. But I want to help. Please."

For another minute or two, both Dean and Sam looked hesitant, but Cas stepped in between them, speaking as he faced Adam.

"He can help," Cas said plainly. "Lilith's children will be expecting you to work against them. While Dean is attracting their attention, Sam and Adam can sweep the area for the tracking beacon."

"What beacon?" Dean asked.

Cas turned to him suddenly, lifting two fingers and touching Dean's forehead. Dizziness and disorientation overwhelmed Dean as he lost most of his bearings. He opened his eyes, expecting to find himself still in the front room with his brothers, Cas and Bobby.

Instead, he looked around the wilderness surrounding him without any clue as to where he was. Nothing looked familiar, and for all Dean knew, he could be anywhere. But based on what Cas had been saying before he zapped Dean to God knows where, this could be Minnesota, and Dean could be near New Hope. And Cas had apparently made it possible for Sam and Adam to track him.

"Thanks for the warning, Cas!" Dean yelled to the sky.

It was the first time in a while Cas had acted this way — not giving any of them any indication what he was doing until he actually did it. After defeating Lucifer, it had taken Cas a while to get back into the same rhythm as Dean and Sam, and he still slipped every now and then. This was definitely a slip-up in Dean's book.

Dean wandered around for almost an hour, trying to get a signal on his cell phone and failing as he moved around aimlessly. For a little while, he thought Cas had dropped him in the middle of nowhere to get him out of the way. But then . . .

"Well, you are not what I was expecting," he heard and turned to see a rather petite, brown-haired, green-eyed young woman standing behind him in a brilliant white, eyelet lace, strapless dress. Her hair was wavy and to her waist, and her eyes were the clearest shade of green Dean had ever seen — like Mary's.

She smiled as she stepped closer to Dean. "I mean, I've heard stories, and those Demons were giving me first hand accounts, but seriously. I thought you'd be taller."

Dean glared, allowing her to get within arm's length. He thought for several seconds she was just a lackey. Maybe she'd been sent to get him or kill him — that was just as possible as anything else. But she wasn't Mary. Dean had to tell himself that over and over even as she grinned and began circling him.

"We thought for sure Sam would come," she said nonchalantly. "After what Nora told us, it only seemed inevitable. But I have to say. I am impressed. Self-righteous guy like you trying to save a girl like Mary. You do know she's destined, right?"

Dean smiled, attempting to appear cavalier. "I get it," he said. "You think she's some chosen vessel for you to fill. With Lilith."

She smiled. "Actually, I know she is. The first in a very long time, and I'm not going to let some damaged, holier than thou, hell-raiser get in my way. Because I was chosen for something once myself. And it's time for me to fulfill my destiny."

Remaining stalwart became more difficult than Dean imagined, and he clenched his jaws. "I'm not gonna let that happen."

Her laugh sent chills down Dean's spine, a soft, tinkering bell that rang in his ears and made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. "Oh, don't worry, Dean Winchester. Saving Mary will be the least of your worries."

"And why is that?" Dean asked.

Her eyes averted to the space behind him, and Dean fought his curiosity to look. "Because you're going to have to worry about saving yourself."

Soft, small hands cupped over Dean's eyes innocently, but instantly, Dean felt a cold chill wash over his torso, and the air around him became stale with dirt, metal and musk. The ground beneath his feet changed from soft with grass to hard with rock, and when the hands slipped away, Dean found himself inside a dark, dank, dreary cave where two altars were set surrounded by candle stands and solid white cloths laid over the altars.

The last thing he saw before he passed out was the small figure of a little girl lying on the alter farthest away from him. She was sleeping, and she was dressed in a pure white blessing gown. It was Mary on a sacrificial table made of solid white stone.

* * *

**Okay, kiddies, to all of you reading . . . if anyone's reading. Here's a chance for you to figure out what's going to happen next. Will Sam be able to find Dean and Mary in time? Will Mary be able to defeat the women doing this? Tell me what you think, and I might tell you if you're on the right track.**

**Until next time . . . Happy Reading!**

_***Again, this has been re-edited, but hopefully not too noticeably from its original form. More re-edits are coming. And if you finish this story, you might want to read the sequel - **_**Progeny. _It's on my profile._**_**  
**_


	5. Sacrificial Blood  Part I

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural. I do however own Mary, since she's one of my favorite characters. I'm a really big fan of the show. I hope you all like my story.

* * *

**Four**

**Sacrificial Blood**

Halfway between Sioux Falls and New Hope, Sam and Adam were already thinking the worst, especially with the way Cas had whisked Dean off less than two hours earlier. Even with a fool-proof method of tracking Dean firmly in place, they were still too far away to do anything about it. And that worried Sam. It worried him a lot.

"Anything besides northeast yet?" Sam asked Adam as he sat in the passenger seat of the Impala manning a regular compass as it continued to point them in the general direction of where Cas had dropped Dean.

"No," Adam said simply, his arms crossed stubbornly over his chest.

Sam glanced at Adam, noticing the contempt look on his face. "What's wrong?" he asked his younger half-brother.

For several seconds, Adam was silent. "I was just thinking," he said after a minute. "About Michael. About those few weeks I was wandering around with him inside me. I don't even know why I did it anymore — my mother was dead. I thought all I wanted was to see her again, and they used that to manipulate me. I was weak, and I'll always be sorry for that. At least you tried to fight Lucifer. I can't even say that."

Sam inhaled deeply, squinting in the bright midday sun and remembering that day with distinctive clarity. It wasn't every day your body was taken over by a fallen Archangel out to destroy the world as you knew it, but to have said Angel's older brother jump into the mix — and your younger half brother — was just one of those things the boys had gotten used to up to that point. But Sam had suffered too. The last three years hadn't been a picnic for anybody.

"You can't blame yourself for anything that happened," Sam insisted. "You didn't know."

"But you tried to tell me. And all I could do was come back with that crap about my mom. Because of them. I can wish I'd been stronger or smarter, but the truth is, I'll always feel like I let you and Dean down."

"Adam, you're our brother," Sam stressed. "That means a hell of a lot more to us than any mistake you made under the influence of Zachariah or Michael or any of those jerks. They're the ones who were trying to destroy us, and we all made mistakes. Dean and I are the ones who jump-started the damn Apocalypse. Anything that happened after Michael took your body wasn't your fault. Maybe if Dean and I had fought harder to show you how they really were, it would have turned out different, but it didn't. And we all just need to move on. Dean and I wouldn't have wanted to protect you if we didn't think you needed it or deserved it."

Adam sighed softly. "I know."

Sam glanced at Adam again, remembering the first time they'd actually met. It didn't count that a ghoul had killed Adam and taken on his form to get back at their dad. Sam would always remember Cas appearing in Bobby's front room with Adam slung over his shoulder at the first time he and Adam had met. Of course, it hadn't been the warm and toasty reunion Sam had envisioned, but they'd worked through their differences the last few years. Once everything had gotten sorted out, Adam's safety had been the only thing Sam and Dean could agree on at that point.

But after three years, it was obvious Adam was only getting more restless being unable to even leave Bobby's house.

"Where is all this coming from?" Sam asked. "We haven't talked about it in a while."

"It's just — You can't protect me forever. I know you want to, but it's not fair anymore. And I know being fair shouldn't be at the top of the list of things necessary for my survival. I know Demons are after me. And I know what's left over of the Angels all want a piece of me. You and Dean tell me all the time — when you're around anyway." Adam, paused, setting the compass on his leg and uncrossing his arms. "Bobby's been training me," he revealed. "I know you didn't want me to know this stuff, but I asked him to, and he agreed I needed to know what to do. So."

Sam tried not to think badly about that. He'd been the one to want Adam to learn to be a hunter the first time he'd learned of Adam's existence — ghoul or no ghoul. It would seem a little hypocritical for him to look down on Adam for wanting to protect himself. But it also meant all kinds of things that Sam wasn't so sure Adam was ready for.

"Have you been attacked?" Sam asked quickly.

"No," Adam replied without skipping a beat. "No. Bobby made sure we were safe. But I'm telling you this because I want to do more than man a damn compass. I've been working on this for a couple of years now, and I know I can do more than man a compass. I didn't tell Dean because he wouldn't have wanted me to do this. But I have to help this time. I don't know why, but I just do."

Despite Adam not having their last name, it was clear he was a Winchester. They all had a tendency to do things without worrying about the consequences or without wanting to worry, and Adam was no different. Same could think of a hundred different times that Adam had displayed the attitude and mannerisms of their father, and he was doing it right now as he spoke of how he _had_ to help. It was almost as though he was being compelled. Sam felt the same need to save Mary, but his need to save Dean was beginning to overpower that. Adam looked like he had other reasons for feeling this way.

"You will help," Sam promised him. "And you shouldn't worry about Michael. Even if we see him again, he knows we can do this on our own now. He won't have a choice after we save Mary."

"Do you really think we'll save her?" Adam asked softly.

"Yeah," Sam replied adamantly. "I do. No question."

Adam nodded, returning to the compass as it pointed them toward Dean. "Do you think Dean's okay?"

Sam let out a heavy sigh, thinking of the last time Dean had been zapped somewhere by Cas. "I hope so. Maybe he'll keep his cool long enough to get Mary and those other kids to safety. You know how he can be about Demons."

"Yeah, I know," Adam nodded.

"Dean is with the Demons," they heard from behind and both turned to see Cas there alone.

Sam swerved into the oncoming lane, nearly missing a bright red SUV before he swerved back into his own lane, and he cursed silently before calming down quickly.

"How do you know?" Adam asked, still looking at Cas.

"He's deep underground, north of town in an iron ore cave."

"Well, if you know where he is, then why don't you follow him and get him out of there?" Sam demanded. "What about Mary and the other girls?"

"They're near where he is being kept," Cas confirmed, "but the Demons have their location protect by Enochian sigils. I can't breach their defenses. And the Demons know you're coming. So you need to be careful."

"Is he okay?" Adam asked. "What about Mary?"

"They're both still alive," Cas acknowledged. "But the Demons have decided to use Dean in their ceremony. They were planning on using Sam, since he was one of Azazel's children and had the capacity to participate as a servant of the Devil. But Dean showed up. And now they're going to kill him instead."

"How are we supposed to get them out of there?" Sam asked.

"The compass will direct you to their location," Cas insisted. "And as I said, he's north of town in a cave. It's deep underground. I don't know how feasible it will be to go down there, but Dean knows Mary's strength. And I was able to contact him through his unconsciousness to give him the incantation. Mary should also know it. She was reading that book before you carried her upstairs away from Michael."

Curiosity contorted Sam's face, and he glanced at Cas even as he drove steadily. "How would she remember that? It was in Latin."

"Children are like sponges," Cas said seriously. "They can absorb more knowledge than you ever though possible. And being Lilin makes Mary three times as receptive. She can remember anything she reads, sees, hears and feels."

"Like an eidetic memory?" Sam asked.

"Much more than that," Cas pressed. "And much more extensive. We can use that to our advantage."

"Wouldn't these Demons have thought of that?" Adam asked.

"I'm hoping they have. They won't think she'll ever use it against them. And with her only having minimal contact with them, Dean should be able to keep them distracted without Mary getting hurt."

"How do we keep Mary from getting hurt?" Adam went on. "Isn't that sort of their plan?"

"No," Cas admitted. "Why do you think they have to bath her in pure blood, unpurify her and defile her by a Servant of the Devil?"

It only took Sam a minute to connect the dots. "They don't want her blood to bring Lilith back," Sam said. "They want her body to hold Lilith's spirt. Indefinitely."

The car was silent for several seconds before Adam spoke to them both.

"How do we keep that from happening?" he demanded though it came out as more of a plea than anything.

"I don't know that we can anymore," Cas said dreadfully. "But we have to try. Or Lilith will walk again, and she might do what she did before."

Adam stared at him for another few seconds, then looking at Sam. "She brought back Lucifer before," Adam exclaimed.

The sound of fluttering wings caught his ears, and Adam looked into the back seat to find Cas gone. Sam looked too, though he probably wasn't reeling as much to this new revelation.

"Don't worry," he said to Adam softly. "He'll meet us there."

"But Lucifer! Won't that bring the apocalypse? Again."

"We're not gonna let that happen," Sam promised.

Adam began hyperventilating, leaning over his legs and exhaling loudly.

"It's okay, Adam," Sam insisted, even though he was beginning to lose it too. "It's all gonna be okay."

"How is this okay?" Adam pleaded. "How is any of this gonna be okay? How did this happen? You and Dean were just investigating a regular job. I don't understand!"

Sam sighed softly, thinking of the last time he and Dean had gone on a regular job and had it turn out to be something much worse — a lot like now. But this time was different. They had their experience from before, and Sam wasn't going to fall prey to anymore Demons any time soon. He was going to find Mary and Dean, and they were going to get those girls back to their parents, and that was going to end this job. Lilith or no Lilith, Sam wasn't going to let this happen to a little girl who had no clue what was going on around her.

"Adam, I need you to focus, please," Sam commanded, eliciting the immediate reaction of his younger brother as Adam sat up with his arm covering his face.

With a deep breath, he relaxed slowly, and Sam continued.

"I know it looks bad," Sam admitted. "But Dean and I have seen bad before. You've seen bad before, and it might not have felt like it at the time, but everything turned out for the best. We were released, because we were innocent victims. Michael and Lucifer were the bad guys, and they got punished. We can do this. Just please focus, and I promise everything will be okay."

"You promise?" Adam pleaded, and Sam knew he wasn't being sarcastic anymore.

"I promise," Sam insisted.

It took a few more deep breaths, but after a few minutes, Adam calmed down, returning his attention to the compass as it continued to aim northeast toward New Hope, Minnesota.

* * *

The second time Dean opened his eyes, he felt something dripping onto his forehead. It was wet and warm, and he could only guess what it was. In fact, he was pretty sure what it was, and it made his stomach turn over into knots. He hoped that wasn't one of those little girls' blood, or worse, Mary's blood. And when he opened his eyes, it took almost a minute for his eyes to adjust with it being so dark. There _was_ light, but it was so minimal that Dean could feel his pupils open all the way up easily. He felt like it had been forever since he'd been anywhere this dark. After that night he'd used one of Crowley's hell hounds to find Sam and Adam, he never thought he'd ever be anywhere this dark again. Guess he'd been wrong.

"Well, look who's awake," he heard and looked above him to see the woman from before hovering over him with a wide smile on her face.

Dean looked to his left, seeing a solid stone wall with intricate designs covering it and instantly knowing it was Enochian symbols. Meant to keep out Angels. He looked to his right again, seeing Mary still on her alter where she'd been before, and then he looked up at the woman again. Her green eyes were twinkling in the low light, almost like she had her very own star inside her. He wondered how she could smile like that when she was so evil.

"Oh, I'm not evil," she replied softly, caressing his temple and seeming to spread around what was dripping onto his forehead. "You have a rather simple way of thinking, but I'm not evil, Dean. I simply made a choice. Just like Lucifer did all those years ago when he refused to bow. It didn't make him evil. It made him different."

Dean huffed. "Oh, yeah, he was different all right," he muttered. "Son of a bitch wanted to destroy my planet and half the people on it, but he wasn't evil. Just misunderstood. Save it, ya twisted skank. I don't care."

The sharpest pain Dean had ever felt in his life exploded in his gut, eliciting the loudest groan he'd ever let out to escape his mouth, and the woman giggled.

"Don't worry," she said. "You will care. Soon."

Without being able to double over around the pain, it spread up his torso and down into his hips. The chains around his wrists and ankles kept his body open, and the woman moved to his middle, extracting a pair of long, silver sewing scissors that she promptly used to cut open his t-shirt. With the wet stuff on his forehead, she used some of it to draw on his chest, painting a symbol from his collarbones to his hips, and when Dean lifted his head, he could see the intricate detail of a seal that looked like an upside-down pentagram. But he was guessing it was probably some kind of target.

"That's enough, Eleanor," he heard over his own groaning, and the pain stopped.

Dean opened his eyes to see another brown-haired, green-eyed woman a little taller than Eleanor waltz into the dark room dressed in a white dress also off her shoulders and passed her knees. She smiled when Dean saw her, moving to his side and leaning over so that her face was less than an inch from his.

"You're very handsome," she said softly. "Just like everyone said. Well, almost everyone."

Her face looked familiar, but Dean couldn't for the life of him remember where he'd seen her before.

"I had hoped that Sam would come," she said, pouting as she began tracing her fingers over the symbol on Dean's chest. "He would have been a much more interesting, and probably easier to coerce, but you . . ." Softly, she clicked her tongue a few times. "I couldn't even imagine you would show up. But that's okay. You'll do."

Dean glared at her. "I'll take that as a compliment," he spat in her face.

Her smile faded, replaced by a look of annoyance and confidence as she leaned away from him and moved back to the alter Mary was laying on.

"Oh, it won't be that easy," she went on. "There will be pain. And you'll lose blood. But it will all be for a good cause."

"She's a little girl!" Dean yelled. "I don't give a crap about your good cause! I won't let you do this to her."

The woman smiled, glancing back at Dean and then touching Mary's face. Slowly, Mary woke, opening her eyes and then looking at Dean. For a few seconds, all Dean could think was 'please, God, no,' and then Mary looked at the woman.

There appeared to be a silent exchange, and then she left Mary's side to return to the altar Dean was chained to.

"Don't worry, Dean Winchester," she said. "I'm going to make sure you play a much larger role in this than you thought was possible. And you should know that Mary's going to become the most important thing in the days to come. People will worship her, and they'll even love her. But no more than you and Sam and Adam. And when this is finished, you'll all know exactly what that means."

From behind her back, she pulled out a small, ceremonial knife with a double-edged blade and an intricate inlay from the tip to the hilt. The handle was wrapped in black leather and had braided fringe hanging from the end. Slowly, she began to carve the symbol painted on Dean's chest into his skin. Sharp, stinging pain blossomed across his chest, sending a throbbing sensation all over his torso. Dean clenched his jaws, attempting to stifle the groan that escaped relentlessly passed his lips. The woman cutting him merely whispered in his ear.

"Shh," she breathed. "It's okay. It's part of the ritual. See, we would have done this to Sam, and he probably would've resisted too, but doing this to you . . . well, it makes it all the more better."

She chuckled softly, continuing despite his groans.

Despite the intense pain spread throughout his chest, Dean didn't pass out, enduring the remainder of his mutilation and watching both women leave him in the room with Mary. While he was alone with her, he looked around again, seeing candles lining the floor and brass braziers hanging from the ceiling. Even with all that, it was still dark, and Dean had to strain his eyes to see around. There was no apparent doorway, but as the pain in his chest began to set in, the wall all started to look the same. There could be an exit, and he just wasn't seeing it.

He was unable to keep up with how much time was passing. He had no idea how long he'd been gone, and he didn't know how much time he had left. He didn't know if Sam and Adam were already looking for him. What if the Demons caught them? Then they would never get away.

"Mary," he called softly.

"Yeah," she replied, indicating that she was alive and still conscious.

"I know this looks bad," Dean admitted, realizing exactly how screwed he was as he laid on a stone sacrificial table with a demonic ritual symbol carved into his chest. "But it's gonna be okay. I promise."

"How can you be so sure?" she pleaded.

He paused, looking to his right again and seeing her on the other altar. She looked tiny from where he was, and he knew she was scared. He had to admit, he was scared too. But he and Sam had both been determined to save her. Adam had been too. They weren't going to let Dean down now. Dean was sure of that.

"Dean," Mary cried.

"Sam hasn't let me down in a really long time," Dean insisted, remembering a night about three years earlier when a lot of things had been done and said that had set in motion a course of events no one could have predicted. "He's not gonna let me down now. Trust me. He'll find us."

Dean didn't mention to Mary that he'd only found her because he'd been caught, and he didn't tell her that it was looking bleaker every second that passed. If she was scared and Dean made it worse, that would just escalate the Demons' time table. It almost always did. Dean had to keep her calm, even if it was possible they were both going to die. Dean didn't want to die.

Not again.

* * *

In was after three in the afternoon when Adam and Sam pulled into New Hope, Minnesota, population 21,233. From most of the signs that led into town, it became obvious that it was a suburb of Minneapolis and had quite a few amenities nearby. But they bypassed all those things, pulling through the main part of town to the northern fringes of the neighborhood where the streets turned from asphalt back to concrete on the road of Highway 169 that took them north until the compass turned back to the east.

The last time Adam had been in Minnesota, his mother had been killed. He'd been attacked and eaten alive, which sounds disgusting no matter how you put it. And Heaven hadn't lasted long enough. It all felt unreal now — like it had been the most horrible, vivid, intense dream he'd ever had in his life, but this was his reality. His brothers were his reality. His mother was gone, and no amount of wishing or pleading was gonna bring her back. Adam had learned a long time ago to live in the here and the now. Dean and Sam had taught him that.

But there was something about this that made Adam feel like all of that had been a build up to something else. The Angels had used him to force Dean's hand, and Michael had used him to try ending the world all because of some stupid order. It had been a miracle for him to get out in the first place. But when Dean and Sam had reopened the cage to pull him out, he'd released Michael. They still weren't sure if Lucifer was still down there. Based on the general normalness of the world, they were all hoping he was. But now Adam wasn't so sure.

He couldn't completely explain it to Sam, but Adam knew he had to help now. He'd never offered before now, and neither had they. But since Cas had shown up at the house with Mary, all Adam could do was think he had to save her, and it didn't matter why he thought or felt that way anymore.

Sam got off the highway, getting on a side road as the compass needle skewed with the shake of the car. They drove through a tightly-packed neighborhood, garnering quite a few stares from parents getting home with their children, but Sam never slowed down, even when the needle directed them onto a path around the lake behind the neighborhood. At a "Y" in the road that went north or east, the needle drifted east, and Sam followed it diligently until the compass went east near another lake less than a mile from the previous, when the road went north.

Sam got out of the car, looking around for a few minutes, leaning into the car as Adam waited.

"Looks like we're walkin' from here," he said. "We should got what we can out of the trunk, and I'll lock it up."

Though Adam didn't feel right about leaving the car, he followed Sam's lead, meeting his older brother at the trunk as the elder scrounged for everything they would need. When Sam handed Adam the Colt, he took it uneasily, knowing its history and instantly feeling intimidated.

"Only shoot this when you've got a shot," Sam told him. "The Demons will more than likely be expecting us, and I can't worry about you along with Dean and Mary and those kids. Keep your eyes and ears open, and yell the instant you see or hear something wrong. Got it?"

Adam nodded silently, watching Sam strap on the duffle Dean usually carried before he closed to trunk and led the way in the brush around the car.

Even with the sun shining, it was still cold. Adam was guessing it was in the mid-thirties, and he could only hold his jacket around his chest so tight while still holding the compass. He kept his eyes on everything, from the soggy ground that indicated that it had rained or snowed recently to the bare, brown trees that loomed over their heads ominously. Adam remembered these things from his childhood, a blistering reminder that he was no longer a child and had the kind of life he would never wish on anyone. Even though he'd only been living like this a short time, he was already having trouble remembering what his old life had been like. And he hated being useless. Dean always told him he got that from their Dad. Adam didn't really care where he got it from. He just knew he didn't like feeling like he couldn't do anything.

"Sam," he said suddenly, "do you know what it feels like to have to do something? Like if you don't do it, something bad will happen."

Sam sighed, keeping his eyes on everything the same way Adam was. "Yeah, I do. In spades."

Adam looked at his older brother. "So what happened?"

Sam looked at him. "We're living it right now," he said seriously. But then he sighed and looked away. "The first time I . . . died, Dean couldn't let me stay that way. And we both had to live with the consequences for a long time, even after he went to hell and came back. Killing Lilith the first time was the worst mistake I ever made, and how here we are, trying to keep her from coming back."

"Do you think she'll try to bring Lucifer back?" Adam asked softly.

"Honestly, I don't know," Sam revealed. "All she may care about is getting revenge on me and Dean. She may want to make us pay for killing her — even if she knew she was going to die in the first place. All I know is that I can't let her use Mary to come back. Not like that. Mary deserves the chance at a normal childhood. Like the one you had. You both deserve a normal life. And I'm just sorry we can't give that to you right now."

Adam couldn't say it was okay, because it wasn't. But he knew how Sam was feeling. He knew Sam didn't want any of this, but he'd apologized for it so much that Adam was just tired of hearing it. He knew Sam was sorry. It didn't change anything.

Sunset was just after five-thirty, and Adam and Sam followed around following the compass needle the entire time as it directed them though leafless trees and muddy grass. They pulled out flashlights just as it began to get dark and cloudy, and when the "path" they were on forked, Sam decided to split up. Adam, again, didn't like that idea, but he didn't argue, gripping his flashlight in one hand and the Colt in the other.

"Call me if you see anything, and even if you don't call me in twenty minutes. Okay?" Sam pressed.

Adam nodded. "Okay," he agreed, watching Sam go left while he went right on the path that still went east along with the compass needle.

In the dimming light of day, it got colder a lot faster without much cloud cover, and Adam was immediately regretting now bringing a coat. But he pressed on, shining his light everywhere he could and listening as hard as he could to anything that was out of the ordinary. As far as wilderness and dank darkness, Minnesota was actually pretty ordinary, even after everything that had happened. But with the circumstances being what they were, nothing was ordinary about walking along a "path" with a flashlight and a gun in his hand in case something inhuman decided to pop out and surprise him like it was his birthday or something.

The wind picked up before Adam had a chance to call Sam, looking down at the compass to see it spinning so fast it was almost impossible to see. He looked around with the flashlight, glancing behind him and then in front before twigs and branches snapped less than ten feet away. Adam pulled out his phone, slipping the Colt through his belt and dialing Sam as he shined the light in every direction he could.

"Adam?" Sam asked.

"The Compass is going crazy, Sam," Adam exclaimed over the wind. "I think I found him."

"I'll be right there," Sam promised as Adam glanced behind him but only caught a glimpse of white before the ground opened up beneath his feet and swallowed him within a split second.

A sinking feeling overwhelmed Adam as he was surrounded by darkness, and he got the worst flashback from three years earlier when Michael had been using his body as a vessel. It was all still a little muddy, since the presence of an Archangel inside him had actually felt a lot like being chained to the sun, but of what Adam could remember, Michael and Lucifer hadn't actually come to blows as it had been said they would. And when Sam had pulled Michael into the pit, Adam had gotten the worst feeling about where he was going and even with Sam there, Lucifer had been there too.

Four walls surrounded him without another second, and he smelled metal and oil nearby, opening his eyes to the darkness and feeling like he was in Hell all over again. He peered through the space around him, seeing a petite figure close in a white dress with dark hair brushed over her shoulders. She smiled at him as bright, white searing light enveloped the room, and all Adam could think was, 'God, no, not again.'

* * *

Adam seems to be a little bit of predicament. What will happen next? Tell me what you think! Please review.


	6. Sacrificial Blood Part II

Disclaimer yet again. I do not own Supernatural. Just a fan. Hope you all like this. And hopefully, there aren't that many typos. (I tried to sweep this one twice, but no promises.)

* * *

**Four**

**Sacrificial Blood, Part II**

"_Adam."_

It was the same voice as before — cold, ancient, demanding. Because of something in Adam's blood, he'd been able to look the Archangel in the face the first time, and he could do it now. But now was different.

"No," he said loudly, knowing what was needed and unwilling to give in a second time.

White hot heat licked Adam's face, and he shut his eyes tight even as he was pressed into the wall behind him harder than he'd ever been in his life. It felt like large, calloused hands were covering his face, but he refused to open his eyes.

"_Adam,"_ the voice persisted, like an old friend begging for submission to a long-standing agreement.

"No," Adam said, louder and angrier.

"_I can save her, Adam."_

Adam huffed loudly, feeling his skin on fire as the hands squeezed his cheeks and turned his face toward the bright, hot face less than two inches from his. The last time he'd been this close, he'd been the only other one in the room to occupy, like now, but this was like last time. It didn't matter what excuse he heard. It wasn't worth it to lose control of his own body.

"_You shouldn't be selfish, Adam."_

"After the bang-up job you did last time, save it!"

"_She's innocent now, Adam. I want her to remain that way for as long as possible. Just like you do. Like Dean and Sam do. I swear my motives are pure."_

"Empty promises!" Adam screamed. "Just like before. And don't you dare mention Sam or Dean. You can forget it."

"_You don't want her to die, do you, Adam?"_

Adam squeezed his eyes shut so tight tears streamed down his face. "Please," he whispered. "I can't."

"_It'll only be for a short time. Long enough to keep her sisters from using the bathing blood. And then you can have your body back."_

Adam huffed again, clenching his jaws and then his fists. It didn't matter how many excuses the bastard told him. He was going to be coerced into this again. Sam would find him, and he would save Mary and Dean and those kids the Demons took. Adam was sure of it.

"Adam, it's okay," he heard, swearing by everything he knew that it was Dean's voice.

But beyond the brilliant, hot white light, Adam could see nothing. How could Dean be talking to him now? Hadn't he been captured over six hours earlier?

The intense glare of the Archangel overwhelmed Adam slowly, until he had no choice but to open his eyes to make sure his skin and bones hadn't completely liquified. Bright, glimmering blue eyes gazed back at him, bending him to their will easily and invading his mind more harshly than before.

"Adam, baby, it's really okay," his mother's voice whispered.

The large, calloused hands changed, reminding Adam of his mother's hands as they caressed his forehead and left behind a warm, fuzzy feeling like when he'd been a little kid.

"You're being so brave. I'm so proud of you. I promise it'll all be okay. Have I ever lied to you, sweetie?"

Her voice wasn't in his head. It was right next to his ear, whispering and pleading, but Adam couldn't give in. He didn't want to be the weak one anymore. He had to prove to Dean and Sam that he could be useful — and not just because Michael had used him before. What was the Archangel even doing here?

"_I'll make a deal with you. The moment you lay eyes on her and still want to refuse me, I'll release you. Like I said to Castiel, I do still have some pull with my father, and I won't need you ever again."_

There was double meaning in his words as he still hovered ready for the moment Adam would give in. He was assuming Adam would give in, but more than that, he was contending that he could walk the Earth without a Human vessel. How could he do that?

"_Well?"_

It wasn't fair. How was Adam supposed to do this to Dean and Sam all over again? What if he took one look at Mary and gave in before two seconds could pass? How was he supposed to take control of his body from the Archangel now that if he hadn't been able to do it before?

Slowly, he lifted his eyes, staring into the searing heat without any fear or reservation.

* * *

"ADAM!"

Sam looked everywhere he could without moving more than a few feet in either direction. It had only taken him a few minutes to get to where Adam had been, but when he got there, all he'd found was Adam's cell phone and his flashlight. His younger brother was nowhere to be found. And on top of that, the compass was lying on the ground spinning so fast it was burning like it had been on fire. Something or someone had gotten to Adam, and now, Sam was really worried.

He'd been hoping that he and Adam could find Dean and Mary without any help from anyone, but it was clear that wasn't going to happen. And Sam didn't want to call Bobby, or worse, Cas, just to find where his brother had been taken.

Fortunately for Sam, he didn't have to ask.

"The Lilin have Adam," Cas said, suddenly behind Sam.

He turned to face Cas, glaring harshly. "Obviously," he spat. "How in the hell am I supposed to find them now?"

"You already have," Cas said obviously, lowering his eyes to the ground where the spinning arrow of the compass was still going crazy.

"But this is solid earth," Sam exclaimed. "What am I supposed to? Start burrowing?"

"Perhaps I can help with that," Sam heard and turned to see someone he thought he would never see again as Crowley stood less than ten feet from the two of them.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sam demanded, watching Crowley close the space between them slowly.

"Well, I am a Demon. And you are looking for Demons. Plus, your little Angel on your shoulder made me aware of your situation. About Lilith. And the girl. I understand the location where your brothers are being kept is Angel-proof. It seems you need a way down."

Sam huffed, looking at Cas as he still stared at the compass. After a minute, Cas knelt to the ground, allowing his hand to hover over the compass, and it began to glow red-hot. Sam watched Cas pick up the compass, surprised the air wasn't polluted with the smell of burning flesh. Crowley made it to Sam's side as Cas approached them with the compass.

"They're approximately three hundred feet down," Cas revealed. "In an enclosed chamber filled with Holy Oil and Enochian sigils. I can't penetrate it." Cas paused, staring at the compass. "You should also know that Michael is down there. And he's circling Adam."

Sam sighed heavily, clenching his fists and glancing at Crowley. "How am I supposed to get passed him without Dean or Adam?" Sam pleaded angrily. "And how is he down there in the first place? I thought you said the whole place was Angel-proof."

"I said the chamber your brother and Mary is in is covered in Enochian sigils. Michael entered through a chamber away from there. And it's clear his desire for Mary is even more prominent than he led on. I can't say for certain what his plans are. But Adam's fighting him. That's a good thing."

"I don't see how," Sam bellowed. "I'm running out of time!"

"Gents, if you please," Crowley said calmly, moving closer to Cas and reaching for the compass. "I think I can do something about this."

Sam turned to him. "Exactly what can you do about this?" he demanded.

Crowley took the compass, grimacing softly and then looking at Sam before he stepped forward and took Sam by the arm.

Almost instantly the cold, open air of the woods of Minnesota were replaced by the cold, dank space of an enclosed cave. The air was damp and stale, with a strong metallic taste tinged with it, and immediately, Crowley placed the cold compass in Sam's hand. It was still again, gently easing to the left as they now stood in a corridor that was barely seven feet by three feet. Sam looked at the compass, glancing at Crowley as he grinned.

"Looks like we go left," Crowley said with a chuckle.

With a heavy sigh, Sam turned left with Crowley on his heels.

Two things became obvious to Sam as he walked along the corridor followed the compass needle. The corridor began to get smaller less than fifty feet in, and the Demons knew he was getting closer. Sam knew this because about fifty feet into the corridor, they both hit a dead end. Or at least, they came up to a solid stone wall that didn't appear to move when Sam pushed on it, hoping it was a false wall or something.

The needle on the compass still pointed toward the wall, through it, but Sam didn't have a shovel or dynamite, so the possibility of getting through dwindled quickly. He was seriously considering going back and looking for another way to go around when Crowley stopped him.

"If I may," Crowley allowed, taking Sam's arm again and appearing in another dark part of the cave. Sam was disoriented, opening his eyes to see a small, enclosed cave with two chambers on either side. "The Lion's Den," Crowley suggested. "Good luck."

Sam glanced away from Crowley, aiming the compass in front of him and then looking to his side to discover the Demon gone. Sam sighed heavily, following the compass forward.

There was no way of knowing how much time had passed as Sam pressed on through the chamber. It was too dark for him to see his watch, and the walls of the cave all looked the same no matter which direction Sam turned. The compass seemed to glow the further Sam walked, warming up the way it had before and almost burning Sam's hand as the needle began spinning so fast it disappeared.

When Sam looked up, he found himself inside a small chamber with bars covering an opening to the outer chamber. Just beyond the bars, he could see shapes in dim light, and as his eyes adjusted, he realized he was looking at two sacrificial altars — one was holding Dean and there was blood all over his chest, and the other was holding Mary as she laid out in a pure white blessing gown.

"Dean," Sam called as loud as he could. But neither Dean nor Mary acknowledged him. Sam didn't understand. They were less than twenty away.

"It's about time you showed up," he heard and turned to see a tall, slender brown-haired woman less than three feet from him. "I was honestly beginning to feel stood up."

Her face was so familiar, even with her brown hair and her glittering green eyes, but there was something else about her he couldn't quite pin down. She stepped closer to him, her full lips curving into a devious smile, a lot like —

"Lilith," Sam said, confused and angry and worried all at the same time. "But how? You're dead! I killed you myself. Your blood was all over that church floor."

"Correction, Sam," she pressed. "The blood in that dental hygienist was all over the church floor. Nothing stays dead forever. You should be well-versed in that truth. And I've been working for this day for many years now. You didn't honestly think I wouldn't have a back-up plan, did you?"

Sam looked over her body, noticing how she was dressed in a white, eyelet lace dress off her shoulders and she was barefoot. "Where did you get that body? Your face — "

She turned from him toward the opposite side of the chamber. "Turns out this dental hygienist had a twin. Seems everyone's got a doppelganger. My children found her only too easily, and once Mary was found, they began preparing her for me."

"I thought all this was about Mary?" Sam demanded. "Why her parents were killed. Why she was taken. Why she's on a sacrificial altar in there right now!"

Lilith smiled again. "Oh, this is all about her. And you and Dean and Adam. The whole Winchester family, right at my fingertips. Can't imagine anything more cosmic than that. But I've got a new partner in crime this time around, and he's going to pack a much bigger punch than Lucifer ever did."

Sam looked back at the Altar room, seeing a new shape and recognizing Adam as he stood between Dean and Mary. But there was something strange about him. Usually when someone was possessed, they gave off a certain kind of aura, but most people weren't supposed to be able to see the visage of a Demon or an Angel while inside a human's body. But Sam had been doing what he did for a very long time, and when he looked at Adam, he knew exactly who he was looking at.

"Michael."

* * *

The moment Dean saw Adam standing at the head of Mary's altar, he thought for a split second that they were going to be okay.

"Adam," he pleaded. "You have to get her out of here. Please."

His brother said nothing, moving closer to Mary slowly with a slight grin on his face.

"Adam, come on," Dean said. "What's wrong with you? You gotta get her outta here now."

Still, Adam said nothing, and when his brother looked at him with a serene, patronizing look on his face, Dean knew what was wrong.

"You're not Adam," he said, to which Adam inhaled deeply and promptly moved to Dean's side.

"What tipped you off to that?" he asked.

Dean sighed angrily. "Michael," he acknowledged.

"I told you to let it go," Michael told Dean. "I told you she was lost. But you just had to come rescue her. You just had to get involved in something that has nothing to do with you. And now I'm gonna have to save all four of you."

Slowly, Dean came to an astonishing realization. "Sammy?"

"Of course he's here," Michael confirmed. "He's more stubborn than you are. Adam is the only smart one between the three of you. Told him I could save Mary, and he said yes without even thinking about it. Funny how he's never shared your name and yet he exhibits all the faults of a true Winchester. Guess John passed down all the same self-sacrificing genes to all three of you."

"Get out of my brother, you dick!" Dean screamed, wincing softly as the movement caused the open cuts on his chest to explode in tiny prickles of pain all over again.

Michael grinned, stepping away from Dean and toward Mary. "You know the rules, Dean," he reiterated. "Once I've got him, he's mine until I'm done with him. Besides, I told him it would only be for a short while. After that, you can have him back, and he'll be as good as new."

With three small steps, Michael was standing above Mary again, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand and waking her gently.

"Why do you care so much," Dean asked, "about a child of Lilith? Didn't you say she was gonna grow up to be a paranoid, over-defensive, manipulative minion?"

Michael chuckled, keeping his eyes on Mary's. "I care about her for the same reason God cares about you. She is unique and beautiful, and for that, she deserves every chance to flourish. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Just get away from her," Dean pleaded. "Haven't you done enough damage to my family already?"

Gently, Mary's eyes fluttered open, and Dean cried out. "Mary, that's not Adam," he exclaimed. "No matter what he says, don't believe him. Please."

Michael took Mary's hand in his, kissing the back of her fingers and whispering to her where Dean couldn't hear him. But Dean didn't have to. He was pretty sure what the Archangel was saying, and he yelled again.

"Stop!" he commanded. "You can't do this to her! She's a little girl, for God's sake!"

Michael grinned again, moving back to Dean's side and gazing at him annoyingly. "Dean. You don't understand anything. I guess that's why you've lived so long. In thirty-six hours, the process to have Lilith's spirit inserted into Mary's body will begin. And you better hope it's enough time for me to do what I have to do to get the four of you out of here."

Dean was confused, shaking his head as Michael lifted his fingers to his lips. "Shh."

In the few seconds it took for Michael to lower his index and middle finger to Dean's forehead, three things became abundantly clear. Adam had not explicitly given his consent for Michael's possession — not initially, proving he'd been manipulated into agreeing to Michael's terms. Michael was clearly attracted to Mary, which was sick and gross all by itself. And Michael was dressed completely in white, and he was barefoot — kind of ironic for what was about to happen.

The inside of the chamber disappeared, replaced by a bright, white room with a floor and a ceiling but no walls as it stretched as far as Dean could see.

"Hello?" His voice echoed into the distance, and Dean sighed heavily. Now what the hell was he supposed to do?

* * *

With Dean currently out of the way, Michael took the opportunity to look at Mary the way he'd tried to before. She had been a baby the last time he'd seen her, and it had been too long since then, but now that he had to do what he was about to do, he felt more obligated to protect her than he had all those years acting on his father's orders. He'd made mistakes before, and he didn't plan on making them a second time.

Mary watched him intently as she lay chained to the altar, and even though he wanted to release her, he knew that would only escalate the plans to destroy her. Though her body would be intact, Mary would cease to exist. Michael couldn't allow that to happen. One of the good things about being an Archangel was that he'd been blessed with foresight for his entire existence, and he knew what Mary could do — especially if prodded in the right direction. Human interference had only been the first step in her rehabilitation. Now that she was old enough to understand what was going on around her, more difficult and intricate methods of deception would have to be put in place to prepare her for the next phase.

"It's going to be okay, Mary," he whispered to her.

"I know you," she said softly. "I've seen you in my dreams."

He smiled, caressing her cheek. "That's right. Don't worry about anything, okay? I'm not going to let anyone harm you. I promise."

"What about Dean?"

"He'll be okay too."

She opened her mouth to speak again, but he silenced her gently, laying his finger over her lips.

"Shh. Sleep," he whispered, caressing her temple and allowing her under for the time being. She would be safe there for now.

"You're being careless, Michael," he heard and turned to see Eleanor watching him. "She's not meant to be touched until afterward."

Michael stood up to face Eleanor, laying Mary's hands across her abdomen and then moving to where Eleanor was standing. "I'll touch Mary whenever I like," he told her, much like he'd told Adam. "And if you think for one single moment that your service to Lilith will protect you from me, think again."

Eleanor scoffed, moving around him to where Dean and Mary were both laying ready for the ceremony. "You can threaten me all you want, Michael," she spat, "but we both know you came to us. We had Mary in our sights, and we would have taken her a long time before now had it not been before your involvement. Why Lilith trusts you, I'll never know, but you don't scare me."

"Your courage is . . . commendable, Eleanor," he commented, moving closer to her and whispering to her. "And I can see your siblings' influence, since it has made you careless yourself. But anything that happens to Mary is going to go through me before it even becomes a thought in someone's mind. I am, after all, the one who allowed her to be born. You could say I've got more ties to her than your precious Lilith, since my father swore vengeance on her all those years ago. How about we make things a little more interesting, shall we?" he said, snapping his fingers loudly.

"Hey!" Sam yelled, suddenly inside the chamber with them and brandishing a knife with a serrated blade.

"Sam!" Michael yelled, sounding much more like Adam than it seemed possible. "She's one of them! She tried to make me hurt Mary!"

Sam didn't seem to realize that Michael was still in control of Adam's body, rushing forward with the knife and grabbing Eleanor before he shoved the blade into her abdomen all the way to the hilt. Astonishment and pain flooded Eleanor's face as she cried out, and Michael caught her eyes a split second before he snapped his fingers again and sent her away with a knife wound to her gut. He'd land her right where Castiel would find her. This could definitely work to his advantage.

For several seconds, Sam was confused, standing in the chamber between Dean and Mary with the knife still in his hand.

"What just happened?" he demanded, turning to Michael and seeing the look on his face as he realized the truth. "You're not Adam," he said.

Michael grinned, folding his arms over his chest. "Not exactly. Thanks for that, by the way. You probably just made this a lot easier for me."

"But how? You sounded just like Adam. I don't understand."

"Don't worry about that. Without Eleanor here, Lilith's plan will have to be postponed, but not by much."

Sam's face contorted angrily. "I don't care what you say. I'm not gonna let you get away with this. Not like you did before."

Michael scoffed, moving closer to the altar holding Dean. "You're still so stubborn," he commented. "No wonder you were able to overpower Lucifer. And of course you'd find your way out of hell. But you're not all powerful anymore, Sam. And you're wasting my time."

With the palm of his hand, Michael pushed Sam into the chamber wall behind him, causing him to drop his knife immediately. He stepped in front of Sam, who was a good three inches taller and about thirty pounds heavier than Adam, and grabbed the elder Winchester by the collar of his jacket, lifting him easily and squeezing his throat gently. He then tossed him to the opposite side of the chamber, watching him sputter incoherently and then lift his eyes to Michael's.

"How the tables have turned, huh, Sam?" Michael taunted, grabbing Sam again and pressing him against the wall. "Now, it's not Lucifer beating Dean down. Now, it's me beating you down," he exclaimed, balling his fist and driving it into Sam's jaw. "Guess it's payback time, right?"

He dropped Sam to the ground, kneeling in front of him and punching him again as blood trickled from his nose. Michael grinned, making Sam look at him. "Funny how a stray reflection of light was just enough to snap you right back into control," Michael hissed. "But I'm in full control of Adam's body. At least until I've done what needs to be done. Then he's all yours. Or all hers anyway."

Sam opened his mouth to speak, and Michael stopped him, clamping his hand over Sam's mouth. "You don't get to speak right now. I told you to stay away. It was the only way for her to trust me. And you had to come here and ruin it. Now all she wants is for you to step in and do her dirty work for her. Like you did before."

Sam shook his head, and Michael knew Sam would never let that happen, but it didn't matter. Too much time had passed.

In an unexpected move of stupidity, Sam lifted his legs, kicking Michael away from him and slowly rising to his feet as Michael did the same. Michael grinned, moving between the altars that held Dean and Mary and knowing Sam wouldn't strike him from the other side. Sam picked up the knife, gripping it tightly and following Michael.

"Very impressive, Sam," Michael smirked. "Honestly didn't think you had it in you. So what are you going to do now? Fight me?"

"Maybe," Sam taunted.

"Come on, Sam. If Dean couldn't fight Lucifer, what makes you think we can fight me? I'm a hundred times stronger than you are, and let us not forget who I'm wearing right now. Would you really fight Adam?"

"You're not Adam," Sam spat. "And if he was in there, he'd want me to fight. He wouldn't want you anywhere near Mary. No matter what you said to get him to agree to your little plan."

Michael grinned, keeping an equal distance between him and Sam as he arrived at Dean's bare feet. "It's amazing the things Humans will do to protect each other. Even after Lucifer walked the earth and created havoc the world hasn't seen in thousands of years, you still cling to hope. Isn't it obvious, Sam? These is no hope. There never was."

Sam smirked. "Well, your Dad thinks different. He proved that when he let me and Adam go, and left you and Lucifer in Hell where you both belonged."

Michael chuckled, moving away from Sam toward Mary. "And you have no idea the things I had to promise him to get back in his good Graces. It's no longer about Heaven and Hell, Sam. It's about Earth, right here, right now, and you're merely a chess piece. A pawn for the other side to manipulate. I never wanted that for you. Or Dean. And I promised my father I would make everything right again. I will. Starting now."

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but Michael was quicker.

Michael snapped his fingers a third time, sending Sam back to the surface. At least that way, Lilith wouldn't be able to use him for anything else.

With that, Michael glanced at Dean and then Mary, moving to the chamber wall and touching a space between the sigils meant to keep him from passing through the walls. A section of the sigils crackled away, leaving just enough space for him to pass through, and he moved away from the altar room.

Time to advance his place.

* * *

The stale, metallic air was immediately replaced with cold, crisp oxygen as Sam resurfaced to see Castiel and Crowley hunched over the body the woman Sam had just stabbed. She was still alive. And she didn't seem to know where she was. The Angel and the Demon both looked at Sam, looks of astonishment and confusion mirrored in both their faces.

"Cas," Sam exclaimed. "What happened?"

"She appeared here not five minutes ago," Cas explained. "She's one of them. But she's disoriented, and she's lost blood. We might not have much time to use this to our advantage."

Sam moved closer to them, still brandishing his knife and causing her to coil away from him. "Why is she still alive?" he pleaded. "I thought she was a Demon. Ruby's knife should have killed her."

The woman whimpered softly, holding her stomach as it laid stained with a dark substance on her white dress. Blood. Real human blood. Sam didn't understand.

"It was Demons who took the children and killed Mary's parents," Cas told Sam. "But they were working for Lilith and her children. The Lilin are born of two humans, Sam. They can be swayed. But they're still Human. I should have told you sooner. I apologize."

Sam looked at the woman, her skin glistening with moisture and blood trickling down her chin. What was he supposed to do now?

* * *

Okay, here we go. That wasn't so bad was it? Answers to some questions, but still more questions that need answering. What is Michael up to? Think you know? Give it your best shot.

Please tell me what you think.

Thanks for the reviews so far. I can't wait for some more.


	7. Angels and Demons Part I

Disclaimer Again. I do not own Supernatural. I don't wish I did. Those people have difficult jobs as it is. I wish Kripke would come back, but at least he's still going to be there.

Enjoy! And thanks for all the reviews.

* * *

**Five**

**Angels and Demons**

Not that bright, white room endless rooms made nervous or anything, but he'd been inside this room for God knows how long, and there was no sign he was every getting out. He was silently cursing Michael for trapping him in here, even if that was slowly becoming the most confusing thing Dean had ever experienced in his short life. Why would Michael have to save him and his family? Why would he want to?

"Hello!" Dean yelled, hearing his voice echo back to him as he wandered through the vast expansion around him.

There was no furniture, no windows, no indication of life or existence anywhere. No way could this be in Dean's head. Surely, he'd be in a bar somewhere drinking a beer with a couple of girls on his arm. Seriously. Where was he?

"Is anybody here?"

Nothing came back, and he turned back to go the direction he'd come from, only to discover the white room gone. Instead, he found himself in a park — with swings and slides and a jungle gym. The grass was soft beneath his bare feet, but he wasn't in the white pants and shirt he'd had on upon appearing in the white room. He was wearing his jeans and t-shirt again, which was strange by itself.

A slight breeze tickled the hair at the back of Dean's neck, and he made his way toward a bench on the other side of the park, noting the green trees and bright colors of the swings, slides and jungle gym. There was something unreal about the place. It was too colorful, too perfect, too simple. Where was he now?

"Hello?" he yelled, expecting his voice to carry like before, but it didn't.

He looked around again, making it to the bench which allowed him to see the whole park as it set empty. That was strange too. Kids loved places like this. How could it be deserted when it looked like it was the middle of the day on a beautiful day like this?

"Dean?" he heard and looked to his left to see Mary there by herself. But she wasn't in her white gown anymore. She was wearing blue jeans and a plain blue t-shirt with her hair pulled back into a braid.

"Mary?"

* * *

Snow had begun to fall close to midnight as Sam, Cas and Crowley all hunched over the young woman who had surfaced before just before he had. Despite a knife wound to her abdomen with the most effective Demon-killing knife Sam knew existed, she was still very alive, and it didn't look like she was going to be dying any time soon. With what Cas had told Sam, it seemed pretty damned likely that he'd stabbed a Human being. Sam didn't like how that felt.

"We should probably move her," Crowley insisted, shivering despite his imperviousness to the cold.

"No," Sam shook his head. "We're not going anywhere until I know where Dean is."

He'd since put away the knife, but he'd stowed none of his apathy. This woman knew something about where his family was being kept, and Sam wasn't going to feel sorry for her just because she'd gotten caught in the crossfire. For all he knew, she'd thrown a few grenades herself just to get a reaction.

"Where's my brother?" he demanded.

She grimaced at the pain in her abdomen, crying softly. "I don't know. I don't even know who you are! Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because you know where he is," Sam accused. "And you're going to tell me where, or you're going to die."

"Threaten me all you want," she taunted. "I'll die anyway. She won't let you hold me for too long."

"She's right," Cas said. "It's probably not the desired course of action, but we really should move her."

"Why?" Sam demanded. "We're right here, where Adam was when he disappeared, where the compass says Dean and Mary are. Why move now?"

"Because we are where Dean and Mary are being kept. They're more than likely right below us, and we've taken a child of Lilith from her possession. She won't take this well. It's best if we settle somewhere in town before we began our interrogation," he said harshly, laying his eyes on the bleeding woman.

Though Sam didn't like it, he leaned forward, lifting the woman in his arms and carrying her back to the car with Crowley and Cas behind him. She didn't fight, remaining silent as Sam set her in the car and moved around to the driver's side.

"Don't bleed on the upholstery," he warned. "Dean won't be happy if we have to get it detailed again."

She scoffed softly, grimacing again. "Don't mind me, Sam."

He paused, glancing at her for several seconds, but he said nothing as he put the car in gear and backed up, getting back on the road to town where he knew Cas and Crowley would be waiting. As he drove, he still went over most of it in his head, thinking of the first thing Cas had told him about Lilin and inwardly kicking himself for falling for Michael's manipulation. It didn't matter that being around Michael made him angrier than he'd been in three years. It didn't even matter that this woman had essentially become a pawn in Michael's game.

Why was Michael helping them? And what had he been talking about making things right? How was pushing the limits of this situation going to make things right? Sam had so many questions. He didn't even know where to start.

The closest motel to the edge of town was just closing when Sam got there, but he gave the attendant a hundred for the night, and the guy gave him a single. Cas and Crowley were both waiting with the woman as she laid silently in the car, and he carried her into the room before depositing her on the bed. She laughed as she was set down, grimacing again as she held onto her abdomen.

"Such a gentleman," she giggled, groaning softly. "Only a desperate man would be such a way with someone like me. Someone he considers evil."

"Save your strength, love," Crowley told her. "This doesn't have to be unpleasant."

"Actually, it will be," she promised. "And Sam's going to make sure of that. Aren't you?" She looked at him.

"What's your name?" he asked, unsure why he wanted to know but knowing she would tell him.

She hesitated, surprised by his question. "Eleanor," she said after half a minute.

Sam pulled off his jacket, rolling up his sleeves and speaking to Cas. "Strip the bed," he told the Angel. "But leave her on it. Can you heal her?"

Cas bowed his head, looking at her as she smiled slightly. "I can."

"Stop her bleeding," he ordered. "And make sure she doesn't lose consciousness. We don't want Lilith finding her while we're questioning her."

In an instant, the blanket and sheets disappeared from the bed, leaving her on the mattress with her head at the foot of the bed. Cas touched her temple lightly, and she gasped for air, shaking slightly and then relaxing.

"Where's my brother?" Sam asked softly.

Again, she smiled. "I don't know. Hell. New Jersey. The chamber moves around every four hours. You're lucky you found it where it was."

"Is there a pattern to how it changes?" He moved closer to the bed, kneeling so there was very little distance between his face and hers.

"Nope. It's random selection — like extinction."

"But it always resurfaces here," he commented. "I know that because of how we found Dean."

"And now it's somewhere else," she revealed. "I don't know where it went. I swear."

"Yeah, well, you're not the first Demon to lie to me, and you won't be the last. So we're going to try this a different way." He lifted his eyes to Cas', whispering softly. "Do it."

"Do what?" she asked, her smile gone.

Suddenly, she doubled over in pain, yelling and crying even as Sam laid his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.

"You're gonna tell me where Dean is. You're gonna tell me what they're planning on doing with Mary, and you're gonna tell me what the hell Michael is doing with them! Because if you don't, death will be the least of your problems. I swear."

She stared at him, her eyes wide as tears slid from them gently.

* * *

With more anti-chambers to roam around than there were in the underbelly of every major city in the world, Michael was able to keep watch over Mary and Dean without stepping through the barriers he'd set up for them to be safe from Lilith for the time being. And with Sam busy, Lucifer's first was having to make do with the events as they were laying out before her. Michael didn't care one way or another. He only knew she was going to fail.

"Where's Eleanor?" Lilith asked, suddenly behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Out. Probably torturing a banker or something."

"That's not amusing, Michael," she pressed, and he stopped, allowing her to get closer. "Now where is she? You know she has to be here. Mary's familiar with her."

He turned to face her, towering over her easily in Adam's body. "Mary's familiar with me. And my vessel. And I am looking out for Mary's best interests. So it looks like you're stuck with me."

She tilted her head. "What are you up to?" she asked, grinning slightly. "You know I'm on a tight schedule. If one thing goes wrong, that's it for me. And him. Do you really think undermining me will stop him this time?"

Michael folded his arms over his chest, remaining unemotional as he responded. "I know all about your schedule, Lilith. I also know you won't last much longer in that body. I know this time isn't like last time where you can float from one body to another without worrying about the repercussions. You need Mary. That much is obvious."

The grin on her face faded, and Michael smirked.

"You came to us, remember?" she grit out through her clenched teeth. "We had a deal."

"We had an agreement," he corrected. "That I would allow you to take control on the body you're in now if you brought Mary to me. I had to make sure the Winchesters wouldn't hurt her. Now their intentions have become all too clear, and they've got much more honorable reasons for her safety than you possibly could. Be careful, Lilith. I can still put you back down there where you came from."

"Where's Eleanor?" she demanded.

"She's probably dead by now. It doesn't matter really. One of your other little minions can facilitate Mary's transformation. Granted that you don't try to circumvent the process just to undermine me."

She stepped closer to him, her demeanor turning cold. "You really want to kill him, don't you? Since you failed before. This isn't about Mary, is it? This is about revenge. About you following your Father's orders. After what happened last time."

He leaned in closer to her, his eyes level with hers as he spoke again. "I could care less about him," he spat. "And if you were smart, you'd leave him where he was. He's where he belongs, and he knows it. Death and disease follow him around wherever he goes, and he's better off wasting away in his rotting cage. Mary is one thing. My brother is another subject entirely."

She glared at him unmercifully. "You're not going back on your word," she countered. "Or I'll kill your precious sword."

He grinned smoothly. "We'll see about that."

* * *

Dean stood up slowly, moving to kneel in front of Mary. "Mary, what are you doing here?" he asked. "What am I doing here?"

"I've been here for a while," she said looking around. Then she looked at him. "What are you doing here?"

Dean looked around again, rising to his feet. "I'm not sure. I turned around, and here I was. Where are we?"

"It's a park where my mom used to bring me when I was still with her," she said sadly. "Every time I'm here, I know I'm with him."

Dean turned to face Mary again. "Him who?"

Mary shook her head. "I don't know his name. He's tall. He has dark hair. He has blue-green eyes. I know because he glows when I see him."

Dean made the connection immediately. "You've been dreaming about Michael?"

She looked confused. "Who?"

Dean sighed softly, looking back at the bench and then reaching for Mary's hand. She took his hand in hers, and he pulled her to the bench.

"The man in your dreams isn't just any man, Mary," Dean told her. "His name is Michael, and he's an Archangel. I think. There was a fight a few years back, and things got a little hairy."

"So what does he want with me?" she asked as they sat down. "And why are you here?"

"I'm not sure," Dean admitted looking around the park. "I don't know what Michael wants with you, and I have no idea why I'm here. Last I saw, I was in a really long, solid white room. Then I was here."

"So you do know you're in my head right?" she asked. "It's the only way it makes sense. Doesn't it?"

Dean looked at her, realizing how different she looked. "Actually," he said, "yeah, it does. The only question is how."

It was quiet as they sat there, and a bird chirped in the distance a minute before Dean spoke again.

"You know I'm actually kind of shocked to be here," he admitted. "I mean me, of all people. Why not Sammy?"

He looked at Mary, discovering her beside him with her hands folded in her lap and her head hung low. He exhaled softly, turning to her.

"Mary, listen, I'm sorry about before," he said gently. "I'm not really good at this, and I have these tendencies to be untrusting."

"It's okay," she nodded. "I know you don't like me."

Dean sighed. "That's not what this is about," he promised. "It's not that I don't like you. You didn't do anything, and it was wrong for me to make you think you did. I was trying really hard to be level-headed, and it's just really hard to do that with all this talk about Lilith. She burned us bad once, and I just don't want to go through that again. I'm really sorry I tried to lay that on you."

"Because of Lucifer?" she asked.

Dean tilted his head. "How do you know about him?"

"I heard her talking about him," Mary shrugged. "She feels obligated to him, but she hates him for what happened to her. She wants him here so she can make him pay."

"Did she say that? Who is she?"

"In so many words. She's a lot like my mom like that. Not saying everything, but saying everything. She's his first. Lilith."

Dean stared, unwilling to believe what he was hearing but certain Mary was telling the truth.

* * *

Despite having a knife wound to her gut, Eleanor was surprisingly resilient from what Sam could tell. She wasn't healed, but her body seemed able to isolate her injury from the rest of her torso. She laughed and talked like normal. But when Sam even moved his hand over her wound, her smile faded, and she stopped laughing. Clearly, she was frightened, and she had every right to be. Because Sam was very serious about this.

"If you think what I'm doing is cruel," he said to her, "it will be nothing compared to Lilith. She used to flay the skin off virgins just for fun. I think she'd be a little pissed if one of her own turned on her."

She laughed softly. "She won't hurt me, Sam," She told him. "I am one of hers after all, sweetie. She's going to hurt you," she promised.

Sam smirked. "She'll have to find me first," he taunted. "And I think she's a little busy right now."

"Oh, you might be difficult to find, but they won't be," she said looking at Cas and Crowley.

Sam looked at his guards, sighing heavily. "Guys," he pleaded. "You wanna give us the room?"

"Absolutely not," Cas bellowed harshly.

Sam sighed. "Cas, come on," he exhaled. "She's a little incapacitated at the moment. I think I'll be okay."

"She knows nothing but lies and deceit," Cas exclaimed, even as she laughed. "She might look harmless now, but it could be an act. It wouldn't be the first time one of their kind has fooled us."

Sam listened, thinking of everything Cas had already told them about the Lilin and remembering how he'd said only a few of them had survived. Suddenly, he thought of a new tactic to try.

"You don't have to help me," Sam told her.

"Nope, I don't," she agreed.

"But you've lost a lot of blood," he reminded her. "And I'm pretty sure you'll need a transfusion. All you care about is surviving to torture another day. So I'll make a deal with you." He paused, deciding to wait for her counter.

She hmm'd and giggled, grimacing softly. "What could you possibly have that I would want? I already told you. Lilith won't hurt me. She spent years ensuring my existence. And I would rather die without her than give in to you."

"Even if that meant losing Mary?" he asked softly, watching her smile fade slightly.

Sam leaned closer. "I happen to already know why Michael is here," he told her. "And I know he wants Mary much more than he wants Lilith to have her. You see, I met Michael — once. He's an Angel, sure. But he's also manipulative, conniving and self-righteous at that. Don't you think for a single moment that he wouldn't betray Lilith to have Mary all to himself. I know why you want Mary. I know you need her. Help me, and I'll help you."

"Sam," Cas warned.

Sam held up his hand in desperation. "Whatever is supposed to happen to Mary, it won't matter if we don't find her. And I'm willing to bet that's much more important than leaving her with Michael. Plus I can do something for you Lilith can't."

She scoffed. "And exactly what is that, o fearless one?"

Sam leaned closer to her, whispering to her where Cas and Crowley wouldn't be able to hear him and appealing to her sense of survival without revealing how he was going to do it.

For several seconds, it looked like she would refuse his offer. But her smile faded, and she stopped laughing. Sam stared into her eyes harder than he ever had in his life, almost willing her to say 'yes' to him.

"I only know what I was told," she began. "And believe me, there are others who know more. I swear I don't know that much."

Sam said nothing, glaring at her as he still sat in the floor at her head.

"I'm only here because I sensed her first," she continued. "And it wasn't that difficult. She was so strong. From a thousand miles away, I felt her, and I came instantly. We had been looking for her for so long — the one who would bring our mother back to us for good. Trust me when I tell you I bumped a lot of elbows getting moved to the front of the line by finding her. And she was very easy to manipulate. We were already able to take her . . . and we would have if he hadn't shown up."

Sam looked at Cas and Crowley. "Michael," he said as his cell phone rang loudly.

He sighed heavily, motioning for Cas to take his place as he stood up and pulled out his phone. Bobby's name came over the LCD, and Sam answered quickly.

"Bobby, what is it?" he asked urgently.

"Tell me exactly where you are," Bobby ordered.

"Midnight Gardens Motel, off Highway 169," Sam replied. "Room 8. Why?"

Bobby sighed. "That's the one place I haven't seen it yet," he exhaled.

"Seen what, Bobby?"

It was quiet for almost half a minute, and when Bobby spoke again, he sounded more serious than Sam had ever heard in three years.

"I've been listening to the news since you left, and I never thought I'd say this again, but it's almost like the world's endin' all over again. We got omens and signs all of the map. Chicago, St. Louis, Flagstaff, and a tidal wave just hit Florida. Is there somethin' you wanna tell me, Sam? About the devil, maybe?"

Sam sighed, glancing at Eleanor as she watched him. "It's Lilith," Sam said. "She's out, and apparently, they found her a body to fill while they're waiting on Mary."

Again, Bobby was quiet, seeming to process this new information before he spoke. "Does this mean all that over again? Or is it right about kick off time?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked softly.

"You locked Lucifer back in his cage," Bobby reiterated. "But the seals were all broken. He wouldn't have the same locks in place in need of bein' taken down. If anybody wanted to, they could just pull him out. Like when you and Dean pulled Adam out. You set Michael free."

"Who would do that? Sam pleaded. "And why would they be stupid enough to do it?"

"I can only think of one person right now, and if that's the case, then it's Armageddon. Again."

* * *

Middle of the road in the middle of nowhere wasn't exactly the most ideal place to be in the middle of a crisis, but that's exactly where Adam found himself in the most insane turn of events. And he had no idea where he was. That couldn't be right. The last thing he remembered, he'd had an Archangel inside him with a plan to set things right — at least that's what he'd been led to believe. But if that was gonna happen, then what was Adam doing here? It didn't make any sense.

But he didn't get very far before he realized that wasn't the case at all. The glowing mass of energy in the middle of the road was sort of a dead giveaway. Adam wasn't sure why, but he felt compelled to approach the glowing mass. He did so slowly, looking around and afraid a car was gonna come out of nowhere and splatter him and the glow-guy to smithereens. And as he got closer, the glow got brighter until Adam had to cover his eyes from the sheer intensity of it. It was hot and magnetic and overpowering.

The instant Adam got within a few inches of the glow, it began to dissipate, diminishing completely until he was standing in front of a tall, somewhat rugged man who looked about ten years older than him. His dark hair was shorn off, and his stubble looked about two days old. But he was . . . attractive — and that made Adam feel strange in no uncertain terms. He was just standing there with his eyes closed and his hands upturned to the sky. He was wearing an AC/DC t-shirt with blue jeans, and he was barefoot.

It took Adam several seconds to realize what the man was doing in the middle of the road in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. He was praying.

Upon closer inspection, Adam knew who this man was.

"Michael," he said softly, overwhelmed to the point of having to look away.

A small smile crept over the man's face, but he didn't move. At first, he didn't even speak. He just stood there, praying.

The he looked at Adam. His gaze pierced Adam's soul, bright, glimmering blue eyes touching the very corners of Adam's consciousness and bringing Adam up to speed on their situation.

Suddenly, Adam knew everything. He knew about Lilith and Lucifer, and he knew about Sam and Dean. He knew about Mary. And God. "I don't understand," he said to the Archangel. "Why am I here? What are you doing here if all that's going down right now?"

"I decided we needed to talk," Michael replied. "I have been usurping just a bit, and I can't do this by myself. I tried to before, and well, you know what happened."

Adam looked around again, seeing more stars in the sky than he thought existed. "Where are we?" he asked.

"_We_ aren't really anywhere, my boy. I'm still elbowing inside your body, pacing around underground while I wait for my moment to turn Lilith's plans sour. But _here_ is actually a two-lane blacktop just outside Saint Mary's in Kansas. It's where she's coming next with Mary, and it's where I need to concentrate."

Adam gazed over the man's body, knowing he was trapped inside his head with this jerk and unable to keep him from doing something stupid. "Is this what you really look like?" he asked Michael.

"More or less. After more than six thousand years, I've picked up a few tricks from the Old Man. You looked upon my form before, and I figured you'd be able to here. And like I said, we need to talk. Because this is where it's gonna go down, and this is where it's all gonna start all over again. Unless we stop it."

"We?" Adam repeated. "Why would I help you? You're in here praying while Mary and Dean and Sam are all out there fighting for the whole world. Why haven't you stopped Lilith already? We both know you can."

Michael smirked, closing his eyes again and inhaling deeply as he resumed his previous stance. "That would stop nothing," he commented calmly. "That's one thing Dean and Sam know that you don't."

"And what do they know that I don't?" Adam asked, angry and confused and getting angrier and more confused by the second.

"When to strike."

Michael tipped his head back slightly, and Adam stepped a little closer. "So why haven't you struck? You obviously know where she is. You could stop all this. Please! They're my family, Michael."

"You didn't always feel that way," Michael reminded him. "Just a few short years ago, you didn't even know about them. What changed?"

"You know what changed, you son of a bitch!" Adam exclaimed. "The damn apocalypse happened, for God's sake! And I won't let you use me again to let it happen the way it happened before."

"I told you my terms," Michael reiterated. "I would never lie to you, Adam."

"Right, like you didn't before!" Adam inhaled, calming himself as quickly as he could under the circumstances. "Listen, I was wrong. I was stupid, and I was weak. And that's on me. I was being selfish, and I refused to see what was right in front of me. Please, Michael. Don't let this happen again."

Despite Adam impassioned plea, Michael barely moved, his eyes still closed and his hands and head still tilted back slightly.

"Screw this," Adam spat. "If you won't stop this, I will. To hell with you and Lucifer."

Adam turned to leave, walking away from Michael as quickly as he could, but he didn't get that far before the ground and the street suddenly dropped off — like the edge of the world was right at Adam's feet, and he could see all the way down. He stopped just short of going over, turning back to Michael.

"Very mature," he taunted.

"You can't leave, Adam," Michael reminded him. "I told you. We're just talking. Do you really think I'd let you roam around without me to keep you on a leash? Besides, I told you. I have to concentrate."

"Why?" Adam asked. "And why do I have to witness it?"

"Because I have the one bargaining chip Lilith wasn't planning on me having, and I know when to dangle it in front of her. And if we're going to stop her, then you need to know this too. Don't worry about Sam or Dean or Mary, for that matter. Sam's busy, and Dean and Mary are cooking up their own little coup de tat as we speak. They're fine."

Finally, he stopped praying, turning to face Adam and moving to be in front of him. "You, my friend, are the one we should be worrying about. Because I can't kill Lucifer alone. I made that mistake once, and I don't plan on doing it again. I trusted the wrong people, and one by one, they all turned on me, because of you. Humans. Filthy, stinking, disgusting creatures who've turned this entire planet into a gigantic cess pool of rotting mass with no soul, no life, no future. So of course, my Father, he calls on me to do his dirty work. As usual. I played by his rules. I tried to do my part, and it ended up back-firing on me, in a big way. And that's on me. So now, we're going to try a few new tactics. I'm gonna trust you. A Human. And I'm gonna trust Dean. Because right now, you're all I've got. I told Sam I had to promise my Father many things to get back in his good Graces, and it was all true. I've lost many of my brothers and sisters, and even though there are a few who are still faithful, like Castiel, there's one who's still banging his head against the wall trying to figure out where he went wrong. And it's my job to stop him."

Michael paused, and Adam stood up straight. "Lucifer."

With a slight nod, he confirmed all of Adam's fears. Lilith was going to raise Lucifer from his cage, and it was going to start the apocalypse. Again.

"But I thought — "

Michael held up his hand, stopping Adam. "This was all about Mary. It was about her innocence, her purity and her goodness. I'm the one who brought her into existence, because I knew she would be the one to do this. I watched her with my brothers, and when the Thompson's told her what she was, I knew this would happen. It was inevitable. No one could have stopped her sisters from finding her, and I had to let them believe they'd succeeded. It was the only way to make sure they did as I asked. I found Lilith a body, and I allowed them to fill it with her essence. They only think she's invulnerable. An Angel I very well may be, but I'm also a soldier. I've been fighting since before this planet was a glimmer in my Father's eye, and I know how to make the enemy weak. I played both sides before. Why not now, only this time, it's a true game of wit and strategy. And I've definitely got the advantage. Wouldn't you say?" he asked, reaching into his back pocket and extracting a small golden coin that shimmered in the moonlight and burned hot when Adam tried to touch it.

Suddenly, it all made sense.

"Are you serious?" Adam asked Michael. "Is that what I think it is?"

Michael held his eyes on the coin, flipping it in his fingers. "Even I can't break it. Only Lilith can. But since I've got it here, and it's not in her precious little body, killing her won't start a damn thing."

"But what about Lucifer? She's going to bring him back. Don't you have to stop her before that?"

"All in good time, right?" Michael grinned, pocketing the coin and then slipping his hands into his pockets. "So what do you say? You with me, sport?"

* * *

Though the sun hadn't moved from the middle of the sky, Dean felt like he'd been in this park for hours. And Mary hadn't gone anywhere the whole time, sitting on the park bench with him like it was no big deal. But something was wrong. Dean could feel it. And when the light began flickering from bright yellow to navy blue, his suspicions were confirmed. Something was definitely wrong.

Dean stood up from the bench with Mary beside him, and the sun disappeared, replaced by the brightest, fullest moon Dean had ever seen. He never liked it when that happened, especially in situations like the one he was in right now. Of course, Dean hadn't ever really been in a situation like this one before anyway.

"What's happening?" Mary asked, moving closer to Dean.

"Has this ever happened before?" he asked.

"No," she replied softly.

He glanced at her, seeing her scared the way she'd been when he'd first seen her. "Well, stay close," he said gently, allowing her to hold onto him as he held onto her. Whatever this was, it wasn't going to be good.

The moon got brighter, if that was possible, and it got warmer, despite the fact that it had been the middle of winter where Dean had been before. Slowly, the moon began to get bigger, a bright ball of brilliant white light that felt like a light fixture overheated from being on all day. Mary tried to hide behind Dean, and it was obvious she'd never seen anything like this before.

"It's okay," he promised her. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. I swear."

"Famous last words right?" he heard, turning to his right and seeing a tall, dark-haired man in an AC/DC t-shirt and blue jeans standing there with Adam beside him.

"Adam?" Dean said. "How? Who?"

The dark-haired man smiled, slipping his hands into his pockets, and Mary slowly stepped away from Dean toward him.

"Mary, wait," Dean ordered. "You don't know who that is!"

"Of course she does," he said.

Dean stared into the man's bright, glimmering blue eyes, feeling the hair on the back of his neck and the hair on his arms stand on end as he realized who he was looking at. "Michael?"

Slowly, he made his way toward them, and Dean remained defensive, attempting to keep Mary close to him.

"What's going on?" Dean demanded. "How is this possible?"

"In Mary's brain, many things are possible," Michael said, stopping less than two feet from her and squatting down in front of her. "It's the only place this would be possible."

"For what?" Dean asked. "Tea parties?"

"For hiding," Michael told him. "At least that's what you're supposed to be doing." He paused, smiling up at Mary proudly. "I'll tell you, this one was not an easy one to get through," he told Dean. "It took her mother three tries before she conceived her. She almost lost her three times. And she had three false alarms a month before she was born. But she was perfect. Amelia loved you," he told Mary.

"Who?" Mary asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Your mother, Mary. Amelia was your mother."

"How do you know all that?" Dean asked, remaining close to Mary even as she extended her hand and touched Michael's face.

"I was one of the first assigned to watch her and her mother," Michael replied, rising to face Dean slowly. "Of course, I made for certain that I would be. I couldn't very well allow my Father to kill her, could I? Like he killed the others."

Dean inhaled deep, doing his best to remain calm as he glanced at Adam. "Adam, are you okay?" he asked his youngest brother.

Adam glanced at Michael. "More or less."

Dean nodded, turning his attention back to the Archangel. "Why are you doing this?" he pleaded. "She's just a little girl."

"If it wasn't Mary," Michael began, "it would be some other little girl. Another little girl who wouldn't have been raised the way Mary was raised. She wouldn't have been surrounded by love and joy and acceptance the way Mary's adoptive parents raised her. Is that what you would want? The Lilin getting their hands on some other little girl who wouldn't want to resist them, because that's what Mary's been doing for the last eight years of her life."

Dean stared at Michael for only a few seconds, glancing at Adam again and then speaking. "You know what? I don't really care what you say anymore," he told Michael. "You're a lying piece of crap, and no amount of this storytelling line of bullshit is gonna make me believe you. Seriously?"

Michael inhaled deeply. "Yeah. Seriously. Besides, I came to tell you that you're little incantation won't work. The Lilin aren't Demons, Dean. They're Human. Just like you and Mary and Adam. You'll only piss them off."

"Then it'll make me feel better!" Dean exclaimed, glaring at Michael angrily.

"So you want Lilith to execute your sorry ass before you can even get it off the sacrificial altar you're currently chained to?" Michael inquired calmly. "Because that's what she's gonna do. It's what you're there for. She's a Demon, Dean. And all she wants is revenge. Didn't Mary tell you that?"

Dean inhaled raggedly, lowering his eyes and folding his arms over his chest. "And you don't want revenge?" he accused. "After where you ended up last time? I sure as hell would."

"Dean," Adam said. "It's not like that."

Dean looked at his youngest brother, seeing the worst expression on his face. Though Dean and Adam had been working through their differences — and similarities in personality for the last few years, Dean had never seen Adam have this look on his face. He looked . . . afraid. And not like 'Ghouls killed my mother and ate me alive' afraid, but really, mortally afraid. And that was really unsettling for Dean.

Despite not wanting to leave Mary's side, Dean took two steps toward Adam, lowering his voice. "You're not seriously buying this jackass's story, are you?"

"I don't have to," Adam said softly.

"What did he do to you?" Dean demanded. "He's an Angel, Adam! All he cares about is himself, and you know it. I don't understand how you can trust him after everything he's done to our family. Our family, Adam. You and me and Sam, and Mary. He manipulated her conception, for God's sake! That's not normal. Please, Adam. We have to fight him!"

"You're not understanding, Dean," Adam said. "It's not about fighting him. Not anymore. It's about Mary. And deep down, you know that. You're just pissed, and you have every right to be. But we're running out of time. Lilith is getting the first girl ready. The blood bath, Dean. Literally."

Dean suddenly remembered the ritual, and the way Cas had described it. _She must be bathed in the blood of six pure children._ "It's starting already?" he asked, horrified.

"Within the next few hours," Michael said, still in front of Mary but more than a foot from her. "If she kills the first girl, she'll use the blood for Mary." He moved away from Mary to stand in front of Dean again. "Listen, you got beef with me. I get it. But this is serious, Dean. End of world, Apocalypse, Real Hell on Earth serious. The last time I trapped my brother, I locked him up so tight, it took Lilith a year to break him out. And that was with help, from soldiers I trusted to keep him down there. But they just let it happen. And you were nowhere for me to find. You think the year you fought Lucifer was bad? Wait until he gets out this time, and he's gonna be pissed at you. Your _family_ is in more serious danger than you could have imagined three years ago when you and your brother got me locked up down there."

"Dean," Mary said, standing in front of him suddenly and beckoning him to her easily. "Where's Sam?" she asked softly.

For the first time since his brother getting out of Hell, Dean had no idea where Sam was, and he didn't know what to tell Mary.

"I mean, is he safe?" she asked, pleading gently.

Dean couldn't lie to her. "I don't know, Mary," he said. "I'm sorry, but I don't know. I wish I did. And I'm pretty sure Michael knows, but he won't do anything to fix that because it's not on his time table," Dean spat, glaring up at the Archangel who just grinned.

Mary lifted her hands to Dean's face, staring into his eyes in a way no one ever had in his life. "It's okay," she told him. "I'm worried about him too. But you don't have to be so angry anymore. Can we just go find Sam? Please?"

For a reason he was unaware of at that moment, Dean extended his arms and took Mary into them slowly, lifting her to his chest and holding her as tight as he could. "It's gonna be okay," he whispered to her. "We're gonna find Sam. I promise."

Slowly, Dean realized where he was, opening his eyes to see Michael close. He didn't release Mary, but he made it possible for him to face Michael with Mary still in his arms and Adam at his side.

"All right, Wingman," Dean said to Michael. "But this better be good. Cause if it ain't, I swear on everything I am that I will make you pay for any damage you inflict."

Michael smiled widely, stepping in front of Dean. "First things first," he said reaching out to touch Adam's temple. Dean's youngest brother disappeared, and for a split second, Dean felt his pulse increase. "Don't worry about him," Michael said to Dean. "He's fine. Doing much better than I thought he would. He's strong, Dean. You shouldn't take that from him. And we are simply inside Mary's consciousness. Adam's out there with me. He's safe. And I'm sorry, but you'll both have to awake for this next part. Either that, or Lilith will know something's up with the plan. But I've got something she's not expecting me to have, and I'm gonna give you a little jolt for the, uh, breakout."

Michael gestured for Dean to put Mary down, and even though he didn't want to, he did so reluctantly, watching Michael leaned over to face her.

"You're so brave," he told her. "You don't have any reason to be afraid anymore. I think we've found you a safe place to stay for the time being," he said, glancing at Dean. "Just trust me, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

Michael stood up, nodding toward Mary, and Dean hesitated for a few seconds before he squatted down beside Mary.

"We're gonna go get Sam, Mary," he said to her quietly. "I promise. Okay."

She stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him. "Okay," she whispered in his ear.

With difficulty, Dean rose, stepping away from Mary as she stood up straight and clasped her hands together in front of her.

Michael suddenly took his arm, and the park disappeared, along with Mary, replaced by the white, wall-less room he'd been in before.

"And now we're back in your head," Michael said, releasing Dean and turning to face him as he now wore white pants and a white shirt.

Dean surveyed his clothes, discovering the same white shirt and pants he'd had on before, and he looked around again. "No way is this my head," he protested. "Seriously?"

"Yep," Michael confirmed. "No bars with beer and women around here. At least not with me. Now, this isn't going to feel very good. But angelic powers are some serious shit, and you've got to be ready for them."

Dean inhaled deep, facing Michael and balling his fists tightly. "Power me up, Obi-Wan," Dean quipped.

* * *

Snow had begun falling thicker as the sky began to whiten with the arrival of dawn, and Sam could barely see where he was going. But he pressed on. After talking with Bobby and extracting as much information from Eleanor as he possibly could, Sam and Cas had left Crowley with her to find his brothers and Mary. What made the weather even more bizarre was that they weren't in Minnesota anymore. In fact, they were closer to Lawrence now than they'd been in three years, and Sam was on edge more than he'd been since then.

"Do you see anything?" he yelled at Cas who was searching through a stretch of brush a few dozen yards away.

"No," Cas yelled back. "Sam, this is not a wise course of action! We should go back."

Sam turned in a circle, peering through the snow at the trees and grass. Everything was white. There was no way to see any shapes or anything distinguishable with little white snow flakes covering it. But Sam's gut told him he was close. And he was going to go with that before he listened to anyone else. Even Cas. "No," he yelled back. "She said this is where they'll be, and we're running out of time. She's not going anywhere, and I need you with me."

Further along the path, where the snow was a little lighter, Sam noticed a part of a trail that led to the west, and he felt compelled to follow that, yelling back to Cas again.

"I'm going west," he told the Angel. "Stay on your path! I'll yell if I see anything."

"Sam, wait!" Cas protested. "You don't know what's down there!"

Actually, the further down the path Sam got, the more certain he was that he was going to right direction, even though he still couldn't really see anything. Based on what Eleanor had told him, and based on what he knew about Lucifer, the snow was an indicator. Three years earlier in Detroit, they'd set their sights there because of a temperature drop within a five-block radius in the heart of the city. Sam couldn't see any reasoning for Lucifer to be here other than the name – Saint Mary's, which Sam thought was ironic by itself.

Twigs and branches snapped and rustled with another presence, and Sam reached behind his back for his 9mm, peering into the white curtain falling all around him to see what was coming. But it was impossible.

A wolf scurried out of the brush, and Sam sighed heavily, lowering his weapon. "Damn it," he whispered.

The wolf looked even more on edge than Sam did, and he thought that was odd for a wild animal, but the moment Sam thought it, he realized it was the sign he was looking for. Before leaving Minnesota, Eleanor had said the animals were drawn to her and her siblings. Wild animals would come from all over to this one spot where the highest concentration of her kind had ever been since they'd begun being born, and the last time Sam checked, wolves didn't really come this far south. And this guy looked enormous for a wolf, with thick fur and a long snout, indicating adaptation to an inhospitable environment.

"Cas!" Sam yelled, expecting the wolf to flee, but it didn't. Instead, it got closer to him. Sam wanted to keep his distance, but he wanted to find his family even more. So he stood his ground. "Cas, I need you over here!" he requested, watching the falling snow flutter slightly as Cas appeared behind him.

Slowly, two more animals, a mountain lion and a cougar stepped through the brush to be in front of Sam and Cas, but they weren't hostile. In fact, they barely paid anything any attention other than the fact that they were there for something that hadn't happened in a very long time.

"This is not good," Cas warned.

"But it's just like she said," Sam reminded him. "They look pretty wild to me. It means she's close. Keep your eyes open. Look for the opening. It won't be easy in all this, but you'll probably see it before I do."

Cas inhaled as he took a step toward the animals. "I suppose you intend to go through with your bargain," he said to Sam, exhaling as he stepped down the first steep embankment that led away from the path. "I hope you know it could kill her."

Sam followed Cas into the brush, keeping his eyes peeled for the shape Eleanor had told him to look for. Turned out she knew a little more than she realized, especially after Cas had used his angelic powers to see into the parts of her brain that had been sealed off from her knowledge. That had really been when she started helping them. And she was doing it for herself now, not Lilith. Sam could have also sworn there had been something in her eyes when he talked about Mary. Something like love.

"She deserves something better than Lilith," Sam told Cas, making another circle in hopes of spotting the door. "And we can give that to her. Besides, if she's helping us, then she can't help Lilith. We don't have anymore time to argue about this, so just shut up and look."

They trekked through the snow for several dozen yards to the northwest, watching more wild animals show up and then follow them as they made their way toward what they were looking for. More than half an hour passed, and then Cas suddenly stopped, his feet and legs buried in the snow as he faced the small opening of a storm drain that led into the earth. It literally lit up before Sam's eyes as the shape of an upside down pentacle became obvious in the chain-link wire covering the opening.

Sam took out his phone, dialing Bobby who was currently on his way to New Hope, Minnesota. Bobby answered after one ring.

"Yeah?"

"Bobby, tell me you're there," Sam pleaded.

"I'm just outside town now," Bobby confirmed. "You still sure you wanna do this?"

Sam glanced at Cas, tired of arguing and realizing what he asking to be done. But Sam always held up his end of a bargain. Eleanor had done her part. She'd told them how to find the opening to the chamber, and now Sam had to give her what he'd promised: the chance to be truly alive, and not just a minion for Lilith to use whenever she felt like it. And convincing Cas had not been easy. It wasn't every day that Angel blood was used to rip a child of Lilith from her midst. But it was gonna happen today. "Yeah," he said to Bobby, watching Cas huff and shake his head. "I'm sure. And I'm gonna need you to stay with her to make sure it goes smooth — or as smooth as it can go."

Bobby sighed over the phone. "Well, it ain't gonna be easy, transfusing Angel blood into her, but I promise I'll give it my best shot."

"Thanks, Bobby. Call me when it's done."

"Yep."

Sam turned off his phone, glancing at Cas and then approaching the opening. With each step, the wire covering the opening lit up brighter until it was practically white hot. Eleanor had said no Human would be able touch it, since it was charged with powerful Demonic charms to prevent tampering. But that didn't mean an Angel couldn't touch it.

Cas appeared behind Sam, easing the middle Winchester safely out of the way before reaching for the wire. Smoke immediately rose from the mess, and the air was polluted with the smell of burning flesh. Cas barely flinched, tossing the mess aside and laying his hand over the invisible barrier still covering the opening to the chamber.

Sam inhaled deep, looking around as it still snowed. "Well, we have four hours. I hope that's enough time."

Cas said nothing.

* * *

Standing inside a chamber coated in Enochian and Holy Oil was easy for Michael, since he'd been doing it since all this began. Infusing Dean's body with angelic powers was the hard part. It hadn't been done in several hundred years, and the process had to be taken carefully. If Michael said one wrong word or made one wrong move . . . well, that was it for Dean.

Lilith standing less than ten feet away didn't make it any easier, but since she was busy with her spells and potions, the noise was enough to keep her from really knowing what he was doing as he stood over Dean's body whispering softly. After all, he was supposed to be 'preparing' Dean's body for sacrifice. What she didn't know wasn't any of her concern.

The main problem Michael could foresee was the fact that Dean's body was going to get hot and bright very quickly, and that was going to cause a lot of trouble for them to finish the process. Whispering kept the effects to a minimum from what Michael could see, but the soft glow was enough to catch Lilith's attention.

"What are you doing over there?" she demanded, still mixing her potions and pausing in her chanting.

"My part," Michael told her. "You just do what you're supposed to, and don't worry about me."

Apparently, that wasn't good enough for her, and she left her own altar next to Mary, moving around the chamber to his side as he laid his hand over Dean's eyes, nose and mouth. Michael whispered quickly, finishing his own ritual and watching the inside of Dean's body turn bright white for a split second before it stopped, and Lilith reached out to touch him.

Thankfully, the heat dissipated quickly, and she only felt Dean's moist skin as it laid covered in his own blood.

"Stop playing around," Lilith warned. "Helen and Nora are getting ready to prepare the first girl, and if you stop to lollygag one more time, I just might have to chain you down."

Michael smirked. "I don't think you'll do that," he told her.

She raised her eyebrows slightly. "Oh, really? And why is that?"

"Because you need me," he reminded her, to which she glared annoyingly. "And if I weren't here, you wouldn't be able to finish your transition. And you know that. That's why you agreed to let me do this. Because no matter how many little girls you use, and no matter how much blood you have, it wouldn't get you anywhere unless I was here to give you my permission to proceed. And you know what? I'm really starting to lean toward not giving it to you. Your impatience is getting boring."

She inhaled deeply, her nostrils flaring slightly and her hands balling into tight fists.

Michael knew he was pushing it with the time limits, but if she thought for a single second that he was working against her with giving Dean the ability to fight her, he knew they'd kill every girl they had captive without thinking. Mary was one thing, since she was still innocent and untouched by Lilith's demonic legacy. Even Eleanor had begun falling under Mary's spell. But none of the others had spent so much time with Mary, and they wouldn't think twice about spilling innocent blood if it meant keeping Lilith around longer. Michael had to stop that.

"If you weren't an Angel," she warned, "I swear I would peel the flesh from your bones without thinking about it. Whether I'd need you or not."

"It's not my fault you don't like it that I made it possible for this to happen," he countered. "And you're lucky I allowed you out. Because I still put you back." He glanced at her, and she backed away. "You'll do this right, or you won't do it at all."

She hissed at him, moving back to her altar. "Oh, I hate you and your rules!" she exclaimed.

As soon as she was away from him, Michael smiled, moving to have his back to her and laying his hand over Dean's chest. The details were what this ritual was all about, and Lilith knew that. But she also knew it took time to make all the preparations, and that was the one thing Michael was counting on. If she really wanted this to be done, she'd do it the way it was supposed to be done. That would take the longest and give him to most time to give Dean the tools he needed to get away with Mary.

Softly, Michael whispered over Dean one last time, blessing his body and watching him slowly open his eyes. Lilith noticed immediately.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, remaining where she was like she was afraid to move.

"Well, he has to be awake, hasn't he?" Michael shot back, moving toward Mary and being stopped as Lilith shot around to stop him.

"We had a deal," she shouted, shoving her hands into his chest to stop him.

But he was ready, grabbing her wrists and stopping her. "We had an agreement," he again corrected. "And I'm changing it!"

Instantly, he snapped both her wrists, resulting in her screaming, and he turned to look at Dean to see him still chained down.

"What are you waiting for?" Michael demanded. "Hurry up! I can't hold her for long!"

Dean balled his fists, struggling for several seconds as he got his bearings back, and while Lilith attempted to get free from Michael's hold, he broke his bonds, shattering both the chains and the cuffs with one tug. He sat up suddenly, unhindered by any fatigue or pain, and he looked at Michael.

"Go!" Michael yelled. "Now. The girls are close. You should be able to feel them."

Dean didn't wait, jumping down from his altar and moving to Mary to lift her in his arms. He glanced at Michael, and the Angel nodded a second before Dean disappeared instantly.

"No!" Lilith screamed. "What is wrong with you?" she demanded, grimacing at the pain in her arms. "Have you lost your mind?"

Michael began to lose his grip, allowing her to get the upper hand, and she rammed her elbow into his ribs. Dull, shallow pain vibrated up his torso, and he let go of her, taking a few steps back.

"You are so going to pay for this," Lilith warned. "I knew I should have never trusted you. Now I'm going to make sure Lucifer is pulled out. Even now, he's so close to the surface. He's going to happy to see you."

Michael grinned, wanting to make her believe he wasn't in control of the situation. It was all part of his plan. He knew he only had a few more minutes before any more of Lilith's minions came, but it was plenty of time for him to uncover the knife he'd taken and rush forward, driving it into her gut all the way to the hilt. The surprise on her face was satisfaction enough, even with the glimmer he got watching her spirit slip away a second time.

"Not this time," he spat in her face, pushing the knife in deeper and then dropping her to the chamber floor.

Now it was time to stop his brother. That was going to be the hard part.

* * *

Okay, kiddies. Here we go. You know the drill. Tell me what you think, and don't forget to be super sharp with those critiques. I love them.

Also, not sure if anyone thinks so, but when I was writing Michael into Adam's consciousness, I kinda saw him as Sam Worthington of Avatar. Tell me who you think he would look like when he's not wearing Adam.

Till next time!


	8. Angels and Demons Part II

The Disclaimer. I do not own Supernatural or its characters or creatures. I do own Mary, and I'm very proud of her. Thanks for all the reviews and favorites and alerts. Hopefully, this will keep up with your expectations.

Carry on!

* * *

**Five**

**Angels and Demons Part II**

Dean hurried away as fast as he could with Mary in his arms, even if he wasn't really sure how he was doing it. In fact, the faster he ran, the more he felt like he was flying, and when he stopped, he found himself in the middle of six chambers each holding a little girl. Son of a bitch had been telling the truth.

For a minute, Dean paused, thinking of how he felt. He remembered Cas describing what it felt like being possessed by an Angel. _It's like being chained to a comet._ This felt nothing like that. Dean didn't feel like he was chained to anything. In fact, he'd never felt more free in his entire life. It felt like he _was_ the comet. Not necessarily a glowing, hurling piece of rock in the vacuum of space, but bright, hot and fast. There were no wings. Michael wouldn't have been that nice. But he felt like he could run a mile a minute, and his chest didn't hurt anymore. He glanced down, astonished to discover the carving and the blood gone. Too bad Michael couldn't have fixed his shirt while he was at it.

"Please help us!" one of the little girls cried.

Dean glanced at Mary, seeing her awake and holding her closer to him. "You're okay," he whispered to her. "Thank God you're okay." He leaned back to look at her. "Can you walk?"

She nodded.

Gently, he set her on the ground, taking her hand and moving around to each other chambers. He wasn't really sure how he did it, but he was able to touch the locks on all the doors and melt them completely. He'd never seen Cas do that, but he figured this was a unique situation, so he could probably do all kinds of things.

"It's gonna be okay," he told the girls. "We're all gonna get outta here. I promise."

Before he realized it, Dean was surrounded by seven little girls, six of whom all had blond hair and blue eyes and were all wearing white gown like the one Mary was currently still wearing. Dean remembered looking at all their pictures, seeing the two youngest immediately and ordering everyone to hold hands.

"We're probably gonna have a long way to walk, and I don't wanna lose anybody. So stick together. And yell if you see anything or feel anything grab you. Okay?"

"What do you think you're doing?" he heard behind him and turned to see Helen Quinn there in a white dress a lot like Lilith's.

She held up her hand, and Dean pushed all the girls behind him as the sensation of nails being driven through his head began to overpower him. But before he could succumb, Mary rushed forward, doing the same at Helen and shouting in Latin.

"EGO iacio vos absentis! Ex obscurum , quod in Lumen!"

Helen gasped for air loudly, her eyes bulging out of her head as she grabbed her throat. She disappeared instantly, and Dean laid his eyes on Mary, scared for a split second. First, because he didn't know what she said, and second because he hadn't even thought about her having that much power in her little body. But Mary seemed unaffected, and she turned to Dean's side quickly.

"It's okay," she promised. "I know how to get rid of them now."

He didn't question her, glancing at the other girls and nodding quickly. "Okay. Everybody hold on," he pleaded. "I'm kinda new to this, so I might mess up. But here goes nothing."

He concentrated harder than he ever had in his life, thinking of the surface and carrying the girls with him as they all disappeared from the dark chamber and ended up . . . in another dark chamber. At first Dean was disappointed. But then he remembered what Michael had said during the infusion. _It's not like super powers. You'll have to practice, and you'll get tired. But stay focused. And don't die._

"It's okay," he said to Mary and the other girls. "I got this. I think. Just stay together."

He thought again, momentarily thinking of the woods where he'd been captured, but instantly, that felt wrong. It didn't feel like that's where he needed to be. He wanted to be where Sam was, and Dean immediately knew where that was.

"Okay," he said again. "Everybody hang onto each other! We're goin' again."

He concentrated hard again, thinking of Sam and feeling his body react instantly. It was like his brain had been injected with Speed or some other enhancing drug that made it where he could think something and immediately do it. He wanted to be where Sam was, and within seconds, he could feel his brother in a way he hadn't been able to before.

When Dean opened his eyes, they were still in a chamber, but he knew they were far enough away from Lilith and her minions for him to yell for Sam. So he did.

"Sam!"

Nothing came back, but Dean wasn't discouraged, glancing at Mary and taking her hand before he began to lead his company south. It was the only way to go since it looked like south was the easiest way away from where they'd been.

"It's gonna be okay," he told the girls. "We're all gonna be okay. Just keep moving."

* * *

Sam hadn't felt ant movement from the opening in more time than he could count, but he refused to leave. It didn't matter how long he had to wait. He wasn't abandoning his family. And he was going to go ahead and admit to himself that he included Mary in that group.

"How long has it been?" he asked Cas, who was sitting by silently as the snow continued to fall at a pretty good rate.

"Nearly three and a half hours," the Angel reported diligently. "The opening will close soon, and we'll have lost the opportunity to prevent further destruction and death. We shouldn't have left Minnesota."

Sam sighed heavily, pulling out his phone and dialing Bobby. His hands were almost completely numb from the cold, even though Cas had kind of blasted him with a little Angel mojo to keep him warm for a little while. But that had been over three hours ago. Whatever Cas had done, it was starting to wear off.

"Sam?" Bobby asked all the way from Minnesota.

"How is she?" he asked of Eleanor.

"Got the highest fever I've ever seen in my life," he reported. "She was thrashing all around about an hour ago, but now she's passed out. Her pulse is going about a mile a minute, and I hadn't been able get any water down her in the last forty-five minutes. But she is alive. And she's still semi-conscious. So it's not goin' awful, if you know what I mean."

"How much longer do you think it'll be?" Sam asked.

"I have no idea. Never done this before. You just watch your ass out there, ya idjit," Bobby ordered, hanging up suddenly.

Sam sighed, turning off his phone and feeling the strangest thing happen. He was pretty sure he could hear Dean calling his name.

He stood up and stepped closer to the opening. It began to glow bright white, and Sam slowed down, hearing his name again.

"_Sam!"_

That was definitely Dean's voice. But how was Sam hearing it? And what did it mean that he could hear it now when he hadn't been able to three and a half hours before?

"What is it?" Cas asked, now standing behind Sam as they both inched closer to the opening.

"I'm not sure," Sam said. "But I can hear Dean. I think he's coming closer."

"How is that possible? We've been sitting here for hours in a blizzard. Dean should be nowhere near here."

"Sam!"

"That's definitely Dean," Sam told Cas. "Dean! We're here! How close are you to the surface?"

"I don't know," his brother called back. "But I'm almost there!"

"Hurry up, man! The opening's about the move! It's only still for four hours! Do you have Mary and Adam with you?"

"Just Mary. But I've got the girls."

"What about Michael?" Sam called down the opening.

"Don't worry about him, Sammy! We're coming out!"

Sam got as close as he could without touching the edges of the opening which looked strangely like a storm drain. Noises sounded off as he got closer, and the metal of the opening began to cool. Whispers and cries echoed up the opening, and Sam got closer, straining to hear a definitive voice. But for several seconds, all he heard was whispering.

"Twenty minutes," Cas informed Sam. "They need to hurry."

"Dean, you need to hurry! Please! The opening's moving."

The whispers got louder, and the pinging metal became more prominent as the sounds of footfalls reached Sam's ears. But Dean wasn't the first one out of the opening. One at a time, the six blond girls came crawling out of the opening, and Sam told Cas to take them all to a warm place.

"Five minutes," Cas told Sam, taking the girls and disappearing as heavy footfalls made their way up the opening.

Sam turned to the opening, getting closer and feeling his brother closer. "Dean! I'm right here!"

"I'm coming!"

Suddenly, the opening heated up again, melting the snow as it fell, and Sam had to back away, watching steam rise from the metal and losing sight of the opening for several seconds. He'd never been so anxious in his life, and his heart was pounding so hard. He knew they only had a few minutes left before the opening moved, and then it would be God knows how long before they could find them again.

Gently, the steam blew away from the opening, revealing Dean as he climbed out of the opening with Mary holding onto his back. Sam hurried forward, and Mary smiled.

"Sam!" she exclaimed.

"Mary!" he cried, taking her in his arms as Dean slid out of the opening less than a second before it glowed white hot and disappeared from sight.

Snow continued to fall, and Sam finally knelt to the ground next to his brother who was currently laying on the ground breathing in and out so deep it looked like he was suffocating.

"Dean," Sam said softly. "Dean, are you okay?"

For several seconds, Dean did nothing but lay there and breathe. Then finally he sat up, flexing his arms and fingers. Even with the snow falling, his skin glowed, giving him a bright, white heat that burned Sam's fingers when he touched him.

"Dude, what happened?" Sam asked. "I've been worried about you. Where's Adam?"

Dean inhaled, looking at Mary and beckoning her forward before she knelt at his side and wrapped her arms around him. "Are you okay?" he whispered to her.

"I'm okay." She looked at Sam. "Adam's okay. He'll be here soon."

Sam eased forward for both of them, helping Dean to his feet as Cas reappeared behind him alone.

"Let's get them away from here," Cas said, and with little else, they all disappeared from the wilderness, reappearing near the motel in Minnesota.

* * *

The caverns were dark now. Now that the only thing down here was something so corrupt and damaged, no light would penetrate the corridors around him — not even the light within himself. But he'd been prepared for this. He'd always been prepared for this. It had been born into him thousands of years ago, before Humanity had ever even come into the picture that was the world now. Oddly enough, he felt . . . relieved this day was here. He'd never thought in all the years of waiting for this that he'd want to kill his brother. Not just for disobedience, but also because he'd been wrong. Humans were a fractured race. They always had been. But their Father had been right. Humans were better than the Angels. Most of them were never going to be worth much, but there were some of them worth more than all the natural resources this planet had to offer. And those few Humans were definitely worth saving.

Michael knew that now.

He knew that was why his Father had given him this chance. Among other things, his Father was a teacher. He loved giving lessons, even when his pupils weren't very receptive, and Michael was definitely guilty of the last part. For thousands of years, Michael had felt like his brothers and sisters who didn't understand the beauty of Humanity or their impact on the Earth. Most of them didn't care, thinking it was just going to go on and provide for them forever. But some of them tried to help their home. And it was Michael's job to make sure they didn't have to pay for that. Because now he understood why his Father had sent him back here.

Wandering around underground inside Adam's body was going to weaken him just a little bit, but Michael could work with that. He could make it go to his advantage, especially since he knew Lucifer would have occupy some stranger's body now that Sam was out of his grasp. That could also work to Michael's advantage. He just hoped Adam was ready for the fight they had coming.

"Kid, I hope you're ready for this," he whispered, hearing his soft voice echo against the walls around him as he wandered deeper into the earth. The deeper he went, the greater the chance of him stopping Lucifer on his way up. The only thing that mattered now was stopping Lucifer.

The corridor opened up into a giant cavern twice the size of a deep valley, filled with water and flourescent algae that gave the cavern a soft green glow. Michael moved around the trail that led away from the opening, but before he could get very far, a massive force hit him in the chest and sent him sailing into the cavern wall. A force this great would have killed a normal human, but with Michael inside him, Adam's bones regenerated immediately, and he stood up slowly, seeing a young dark-haired boy standing less than ten feet from him.

For a split second, Michael was confused. But the glint in the boy's eyes immediately told Michael everything he needed to know.

"You're late, brother," Lucifer called, his voice echoing around the cavern.

Michael steadied himself. "Better late than never," he taunted. "I knew she had you down here somewhere. Lilith could never leave you alone."

Lucifer smiled, moving toward Michael slowly. "Well, I am, after all, the one who made her. Can you say the same about any of those disgusting creatures Father loves so much?"

Michael had to hold his tongue, wanting to keep Mary's existence from Lucifer's knowledge. He watched his brother step in front of him, his dark hair swept into his bright blue eyes, and Michael instantly knew what he would have to do.

"You know nothing about creating anything, Lucifer," Michael told him. "Our Father understands that. And that's why he sent me back here. Because you destroy everything you touch, and he doesn't want you to destroy his creation. I mean, let's face it, all you do is bring chaos and death wherever you go, and he's finished cleaning up your messes."

Lucifer stepped closer, staring into Michael's eyes for several seconds before he spoke again. "You've changed," Lucifer said. "I wonder . . ." he extended his hand, laying it over Michael's chest and instantly sucking the air from his lungs.

Michael tensed up, dropping to his knees and feeling his lungs burning intensely as Lucifer shoved him to the ground and pressed his knee into Michael's chest.

"Oh, yeah, you know all about creation, don't you, Michael?" Lucifer hissed, grabbing Michael and throwing him across the cavern.

Michael landed on his chest, coughing roughly and turning to see Lucifer rushing forward and shaking the ground as he landed less than five feet from Michael.

"Did you really think you could hide this from me, brother?" Lucifer demanded, pinning Michael to the ground and pressing his palm to his chest in an effort to force Michael out of Adam's body. "I'm sure Father would be intrigued to know how you've manipulated everyone around you just so you could break the rules. But now that I know this, I think I'd like to use it for myself."

"You can't rise again, Lucifer!" Michael cried. "Lilith is dead. I have her seal. There's no way on Earth you're getting out again."

Lucifer laughed, balling his fist and slamming it into Michael's jaw. Sharp, vibrating pain radiated up his skull, and Michael shrank away from his brother. If he was going to kill Lucifer, it would have to be soon. Only so much more time could be wasted allowing Lucifer to assert himself inside the body he was in now.

"What do you think you're going to do to stop me?" Lucifer taunted.

Michael swallowed, tasting blood in his mouth and flexing his jaw as it healed. "Maybe something you would never expect me to do. Maybe something that would defy everything you expect from me and others like me. Because you are nothing like me, and I am nothing like you. Our Father might have favored you more, but he always knew I was the better one of us."

Again, Lucifer laughed. "And exactly why is that?"

"Because I know how to learn from my mistakes," Michael yelled. "Now!"

Quickly, Michael shrank back into Adam's consciousness as far as he could, returning control of Adam's body to him and feeling him reach behind his back for the Angel-Killing blade they'd found among the possessions of the Lilin. With one swift thrust upward, Adam drove the blade deep up into Lucifer's torso, piercing his lung and then puncturing through his back. Instantly, Lucifer let out a deep grunt, his face flashing behind the face of the boy he was possessing.

For a second or two, it felt like it was over. But with a single spec of strength left in his body, Lucifer grabbed Adam and tossed him over his head. With the blade still lodged in his torso, the last thing Lucifer could do was try to make sure Michael was stuck inside an unconscious body while he brought down the cavern around them. Adam watched him pound his fists over the ground, and the ceiling of the cavern began to give. A large chunk landed less than five feet from Adam's feet.

Finally, the blade hit its mark, and Lucifer's essence exploded brightly, leaving behind the impaled body of the boy he'd stolen across the cavern from Adam. Another chunk of the ceiling fell about three feet from Adam's head, spreading water and mud in all directions.

"Okay," Adam whispered. "Let's go."

Michael reasserted himself as quickly as he could, moving across the cavern as another chunk landed where he'd been laying. Michael grabbed the boy's body, looking upward to see another chunk falling toward him.

* * *

Even though neither Sam nor Dean wanted to leave Mary so soon after returning to the motel in Minnesota, they still had six little girls who all needed to be returned to their parents. With Cas' help, they were able to get all the girls back to their parents, and since five out of the six sets of parents had never met Sam or Dean, Cas was able to convince the parents that he worked with the men looking for their children. There was one, however, that Dean wanted to do himself.

Ava and Andrew Miller had been promised that their daughter would be returned to them if it was at all possible. And Dean was a man of his word. Dean told their daughter Annabeth that he was taking her home and that a special man would be helping them get to her house. She seemed to understand.

It was an hour later in New York than it was in Minnesota, but it was still light out, and Cas was able to drop them a good block and out of the way from Annabeth's house so no one would see them. They'd since wrapped her in a blanket, even though she was still wearing the white gown she'd been dressed in days earlier. Dean was guessing her parents wouldn't care what she was wearing, as long as she came home.

When Ava Miller answered the door and found Dean there with her daughter, she almost collapsed. Dean caught her quickly, walking her and Annabeth into the living room. Andrew Miller was nowhere to be seen, but Dean remembered them saying he worked all day, so he hoped Ava would call her husband as soon as she was calm.

"It's okay," Dean told Ava as he sat her on the couch with her daughter. "It's okay. She's here. She's home."

Ava took her daughter in her arms as soon as she caught her breath, and Dean could only smile. "Oh, thank God," she whispered. "Oh, thank you," she said to Dean. "Did you find the other girls too?"

"We did," he confirmed. "They're all home now. It's over now. I promise."

"Where did you find her?" she pleaded, still squeezing Annabeth. "Was she nearby? Did the police miss something?"

Dean inhaled deeply, having prepared himself to answer her questions. "Ma'am, are you sure you want the details? Your daughter's home. She's safe. I know you were worried, and I want you to know that I did everything in my power there was to do to stop the people who did this. But you want to remember this being good and happy. No one hurt your daughter. They never had a chance to lay a finger on her," he told Ava, which was true since Annabeth had been the last girl to disappear before Mary's parents had been killed. She would have the last to die, but since Dean had stopped the process from even starting, no one had died. Now if Adam would just get his ass back to the planet Earth, Dean could breathe again.

Dean's words seemed to appease Ava as she still held her daughter. "Thank you," she whispered softly.

Dean nodded. "You're welcome."

Dean left just as Andrew Miller arrived home, and the distraught man actually gave Dean a hug – which was awkward enough. Dean nudged him away gently, stepping back to shake his hand.

Cas was waiting where Dean had left him, and even though Dean knew he didn't have a lot of time, there was one last stop he had to make before they left the area for good.

Sheriff Donald Harvey was coming out of his office when Dean stepped into the building, and based on the expression on his face, Dean was guessing the middle-aged man had not been expecting to see him again. Of course, it made sense. Four days had passed. But Dean never broke a promise, and the sheriff had wanted answers. Dean had his answers.

"Well, I'll be damned," Sheriff Harvey chuckled. "I thought for sure you wouldn't be back." His smile faded, and he stepped in front of Dean. For several seconds, nothing was said, and then a spark of realization flickered in his blue-grey eyes. "The girls?"

Dean nodded. "They're home. We found them. Just like I said I would."

Harvey sputtered, glancing around as two of his deputies watched from about twenty feet away. "Where were they?" he asked Dean. "Who took them?"

Dean inhaled deep, trying not to grin. "Damnedest thing," he said. "Found trace evidence of some occultist paraphernalia in a neighborhood across town. Led us right to the sons of bitches who took 'em. Never thought I'd ever see what I saw, but the important thing is that all the girls are safe. And the creeps that did this ain't gonna see the sun shine for a very long time. You got my word on that."

Harvey tried not to smile, but he failed, reaching for Dean's hand. "I never thought I'd say this, son, but you boys finally came through. This town'll owe you a lot of gratitude. If there's ever anything you need, all you gotta do is ask. You hear me?"

Finally, Dean smiled, grasping onto the sheriff's hand and thinking of what he and Sam had talked about before he'd left Minnesota. "Actually, there is something I do need," he began, adding, "something a little personal."

Harvey didn't even hesitate. "Name it."

Dean nodded, gesturing to the sheriff's office, and together, they stepped inside, closing the door behind them.

* * *

Both Sam and Mary were asleep on a makeshift bed in the floor when Dean got back to the motel. Bobby was keeping an eye on them, sitting in a chair between them and the bed where Eleanor was now sleeping. Dean had been brought up to speed on her situation, and while he couldn't say he would have done what Sam did, it had already been done. Dean had just accepted it. Cas positioned himself by the window, keeping watch over the street in front of the motel. Crowley had since left the motel, saying he wanted to make sure things had gone back to normal. Dean didn't care either way, but he was grateful so many people had come to their aid.

Dean resigned himself to an arm chair across the room from Bobby, finally for the first time able to sit down and take stock of what had happened in the last week. So many things had changed. People had died. And it felt like three years ago all over again. Dean was worn out, and he didn't like the way it felt. Even the "jolt" Michael had given him was starting to dissipate, but Dean could feel a small part of him hanging onto it by a single thread. He could still see the glow on his skin, and he thought for a short time that Michael had put something in him that wasn't going to go away anytime soon. And that surprisingly didn't bother Dean at all. Whatever Michael had done, it had allowed him to save seven little girls. And for that he was grateful as well.

But Dean wasn't going to dwell on any of the bad things had happened. He wasn't going to think about any of the bad things that could have happened. He couldn't. Even with it feeling like it was really over, Dean didn't have time to worry. He had people who were counting on him, and he wasn't going to let them down. Not even Adam.

It was dark when Sam woke, and by then, Cas had disappeared to do some kind of reconnaissance to make sure they were all safe. Dean had since positioned himself at the window to keep watch.

"What time is it?" Sam asked softly, stretching his limbs and then rising from the floor to join his brother.

"Almost seven," Dean told him. "Got some food for you," he gestured to the table where a few Styrofoam containers were setting uninvitingly.

Sam just nodded, looking at Dean. "He's not back yet, is he?"

Dean shook his head, silent as he stood with his arms folded over his chest. "Nope."

Sam sighed heavily, looking around the room and seeing Bobby asleep in the chair between the bed where Eleanor was and the floor where Mary was. "That's not a good sign, is it?" he asked.

Dean didn't say anything, moving away from the window and proceeding to pace the floor from there to the opposite wall.

"I'm worried, Dean," Sam said softly. "We should have never brought him. It was too dangerous."

Dean still said nothing, turning to face Sam and leaning back into the wall. "It's always dangerous, Sam," he said after a minute. "We risk our lives every day. We couldn't just expect him to not want to for us one day."

"But how can we trust Michael now?" Sam asked. "After everything he's done. I mean, I know you said he helped. But that was just this once. How do we know he didn't do this so he could have Mary? And since he didn't get her, he's keeping Adam? How do we know?"

"We don't," Dean stated, his voice slightly elevated. "Just be quiet, okay? I'm tryin' to think here."

Sam stared at Dean silently, quiet for several seconds before he moved across the room to Dean's side. "Listen, I know how you're feeling. I do. But the truth is, we don't know what Michael's real intentions were, even if he helped you get her out of there. All we really know is that he didn't want Lilith to have her. And that says a lot more about him than it does about anything that's happened. You said yourself that he manipulated Mary's conception. Obviously, he's got a lot more invested in her than he's letting on. We have operate under the assumption that he's gone. And he's got Adam with him. And they're not coming back."

"No," Dean said adamantly. "Okay? He said everything would be okay. I have to trust him. You might not want to, but I have to. For Mary's sake and Adam's. Sam, you took an evil bitch into your hands and gave her Angel blood! Just so you could find out where I was. How did you know you could trust her?"

Sam inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring gently, angrily. "I had to. Because she was the only one who could help me find you."

"Exactly. Now, I don't like it. God knows I'm havin' some real issues with it right now as it is. But I don't have a choice. Michael has to have a vessel to walk the earth. Just like Lucifer. But I met the guy. The real guy. He was a real pain in the ass, but he's different now. I can't explain it. He's creepy as hell and even more evasive now than he was before. But he's not like how he was before. And I gotta trust that even if he did do something to make Mary be born, it was for a higher purpose than just ruining the world. And I gotta believe he wouldn't screw us over again. Because he needs us."

"For what?" Sam asked incredulously.

"For her," Dean insisted, pointing to Mary as she slept.

Sam huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, I don't have to trust him," Sam argued. "And I won't. Not ever. Not as long as I'm breathing."

With that, Sam turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him. It woke Bobby abruptly, causing him to grab the revolver at the end of the bed.

"It's okay, Bobby," Dean assured him. "Relax."

Bobby replaced the hammer of the gun, laying it on the bed and slowly rising to his feet to stretch. "You idjits ain't fightin' again, are ya?"

"So what if we are?" Dean shot back. "Stay out of it, Bobby. We'll figure it out."

* * *

Sam paced outside the motel room away from where Dean could see him, fuming in a way he hadn't in a very long time. Whether Dean wanted to admit it or not, they'd allowed their little brother to get involved with this, and now he was God knows where with a damned Archangel using his body for God knows what. It wasn't right they had to go through this again! What right did Michael have putting them through this all over again, and for what? So Lilith couldn't get her hands on Mary?

Sam admitted he didn't want Lilith to have Mary either, but there had to have been another way to stop her. Sam had to believe there was some other way. Was it right that they had to pay for this all over again?

"You're not . . . wrong about me, you know," he heard, recognizing Adam's voice and turning to see his younger brother standing in the middle of the parking lot. But it wasn't Adam. Sam could tell that much. Then he continued. "You shouldn't trust me. Because I do have motives that aren't always going to be to your liking. And I did try to kill you. So it's understandable for you to hate me. But hate is a powerful thing, Sam. Just like love. Usually, they counter each other to balance the world, but sometimes, one overpowers the other. And this is what happens," he said, gesturing to the space around him.

"Like none of it is your fault," Sam bit back. "You knew you could have stopped this four days ago. And still, you did nothing. Like a coward."

Michael's face turned cold, and he moved closer to Sam, looking up into his eyes unemotionally. "I know this is my fault," he stated. "But had I intervened when Mary was found, two things would have happened. Mary would have grown into a woman, and Lilith would have swayed her physically. Because had Lilith been allowed to live, she would have never stopped looking for Mary. None of them would have stopped. I had to put a stop to it now, while she was still young enough to survive. Her innocence is what makes her strong. It allowed you and Dean, and Adam to bond with her. So you can protect her."

"Protect her against what?" Sam demanded. "If Lilith is gone."

"Her sisters. Because I wasn't able to destroy the few left. I understand you've been able to hide Eleanor from them. I can guarantee you the others won't stop. And it'll be your job to keep Mary safe. So you can hate me all you want. But it won't change the fact that I want her safe. And all you really need to know is that I have a serious investment in her well-being. And as a result, yours along with hers."

"And what about Adam?" Sam hedged. "If you're gonna be walking around, you're gonna need a vessel, right? That's why you haven't let him go, isn't it?"

Michael inhaled, his eyes wandering and then he exhaled, smiling slightly. "Actually, I think Mary's in good hands for now. And I told Adam I would let him go when this was finished. As far as I'm concerned, we're done for the time being. But I will be watching her. And you. To make sure you don't make me regret leaving her in your care. I'll leave the details to you," he advised, indicating he knew something about what Sam and Dean were trying to do for Mary's future. "But I'll make it a little easier for you."

Michael turned to leave, but Sam wasn't finished, speaking a little more gently.

"Why do you care about her so much?" he asked the Archangel. "You're thousands of years old. She's eight. What significance could she possibly have to you?"

A thoughtful look crossed Michael's face, and for a few seconds, it looked like he wasn't going to answer. Then he spoke. "She's special," he told Sam. "In her own right and in her own blood. And she deserves the opportunity to survive and to have a good life. I never thought that way until she came along. And she's changed the way I look at you. Leave it at that for right now. All right?"

Sam sighed, bowing his head and then folding his arms over his chest. "What about Adam?" he asked again.

Michael smiled widely, tilting his head back and turning his palms skyward. Slowly, Adam's body began to glow until his entire figure was engulfed in bright white light. Sam had to look away for the few seconds it took for Michael to fully manifest, and when the brightness dissipated, Sam looked at where Michael had been to discover his brother lying on the ground. Sam hurried forward.

He knelt at Adam's side, touching his face and feeling his skin on fire. "Adam," he called to his brother's face. "Adam, come on!"

Sam didn't wait, lifting Adam in his arms and carrying him from the parking lot to the motel room where Dean and Bobby were tending to Mary and Eleanor. "Dean," Sam yelled, laying Adam in the floor.

Dean rushed to his youngest brother's side, arriving as Adam opened his eyes. "Adam," Dean said softly.

"Dean," Adam gasped.

"It's okay," Dean promised. "You did real good. Mary's safe. Everything's okay. Adam, are you okay?"

Gently, Adam inhaled and then pushed out his breath, repeating the action several times as his gaze turned upward to where Mary and Eleanor were both sitting on the bed. After almost a minute, Adam looked at Sam and Dean, nodding quickly. "I'm okay," he assured them. "Help me sit up."

Together, the two eldest Winchesters helped Adam sit up, and the room was quiet as they all sat together silently.

"I didn't think he was gonna let you go," Sam said to Adam, leaning back to look at him. "But you're okay."

Adam huffed softly, nodded again. "I'm okay," he repeated.

"Are you hungry?" Dean asked. "It's been a couple of days since . . ."

Adam smiled weakly. "Actually, yeah. I am kinda hungry."

"Come on," Dean said, taking Adam's arm and helping him to his feet. Together, they sat at the table, and Dean opened up a random container which revealed itself to be barbeque with bread and pulled pork.

No one said anything else. There was nothing left to be said. It was over. For now anyway.

* * *

By morning, they were all checked out of the motel and back on their way to South Dakota. Bobby's house had always been somewhat of a safe haven since their Dad had died, and now was no exception to that feeling. Dean and Sam still had a few loose ends to tie up where Mary was concerned, but they'd both agreed on one. As long as she was with them, she was safe. And there was no need for them to have anyone to make it official. But if a cop or a social worker ever got involved, neither Dean nor Sam wanted anything taking her away from them. And there was only one way to make sure no one ever did. So after some well-earned rest, Dean and Sam gathered Mary and Adam in the car and headed back to New York.

Though Bobby would always feel like family, he would always be like an uncle they always wanted. But his place was at the Salvage Yard. Dean and Sam's place was on the road. Now they were finally going to make two permanent additions to their family. And Eleanor . . . well, she was going to hang around at Bobby's until Cas returned to finish what Bobby had started. She also promised Mary that things were going to be different now.

The 20-hour drive only took Dean ten, just as it had days earlier, and they pulled into Highland, New York just after nine a.m. six days after leaving. They'd all dressed up, since they did have an appointment. And Sam climbed out of the car first, looking around and spotting the dark-haired, blue-eyed woman he was looking for as she sat on the front steps of the courthouse. While Dean collected Mary and Adam, Sam moved up the steps toward her, noting how much she still looked like the young art dealer he'd met eight years earlier while on a job in New Paltz, which wasn't that far away.

"Sarah," he said, unceremoniously announcing himself.

She lifted her gaze toward his, sighing heavily. "Where have you been?" she demanded quietly. "You should have been half an hour ago."

"What can I say?" he shrugged, watching her rise to face him. "Traffic?"

Her scowl slowly turned into a smile, and she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. "It's good to see you," she exclaimed. "My God, you look amazing."

Sam squeezed her tightly, thankful that she was okay and happy that she was happy to see him. "It's good to see you too," he whispered to her. "I'm really glad you're okay."

She leaned back to look at him, appraising him quickly. "Very smooth, Sam," she said as Dean and Adam eased up the steps with Mary between them.

Sarah turned to them slowly, her face turning gentle. "And this must be Mary," she said softly, extending her hand slowly. "I'm Sarah."

Mary took her hand. "Hello. You're pretty."

Sarah blushed, rising to face Dean. He tipped his head, grinning widely. "Dean," she said, stepping forward and kissing his cheek.

Dean smiled, giggling softly. "Good to see you too, Sarah."

Sarah smiled at Adam, even though she'd never met him, and then she turned to Sam. "All right," she said. "Let's go. The judge won't wait forever for this."

With that, they all walked up the steps to the front doors of the courthouse as it laid quiet from court having already gone into session. Sarah led them toward a staircase, and they all followed her to an office on the second level. _Justice Warren Peirce_ was inscribed over the door in big, bold letters. Sarah knocked, and a low, booming voice emanated from inside the room.

"Enter!"

Gently, she opened the door, turning to Dean and Sam. "You should probably leave her out here with Adam for right now. He'll want to talk to the two of you first."

Dean looked at Sam, and they looked at Mary before following Sarah into the office while Adam stayed in the hall with Mary.

The inside of the office looked massive. It was definitely the largest office Sam had ever been in, and the walls were lined with books. Sam was immediately reminded of his days in college when he'd wanted to go to law school. Now those days felt like a million years ago. For a few seconds, as they all sat down in front of the desk in the middle of room, Sam was worried this might not go the way they wanted it to.

The man sitting at the desk didn't look any older than seventy-five, and that was young by today's terms. His face was slightly wrinkled but friendly, and when he looked up, his brown eyes were serious but warm. Sam exhaled when he looked into the man's face. Maybe everything would be okay.

"Ms. Blake," Judge Peirce said. "You do realize this had no precedence."

"Yes, Judge Peirce, but if I may," she said, moving to his side with her briefcase and pulling out several manila folders. "Ms. Thompson has no living relatives. She has no means to support herself, and she's been traumatized by the deaths of her parents. I know I'm new at this, but Dean and Sam Winchester are two of the most honorable men I've ever met. And when they found Mary, their first instincts were to protect her. They've cared for her the last few days, and they seem to genuinely want to take care of her beyond now. Plus, there are police reports from Sheriff Donald Harvey and signed affidavits from several members of Mary's community who've all stated these men as being her guardians. I see no reason why she should be taken into the custody of the state when there are two very capable men here willing to take care of her and raise her in a normal, capable environment."

For a few minutes after she finished, Sam was afraid she'd overdone it. There really was no reason for any judge to do what they were wanting. Sam and Dean weren't related to Mary, and they technically had no right to have her in their lives. But she was alone in the world. Sam and Dean knew what that felt like, and so did Adam. The only people they were ever going to have was each other. This was the only way Sam and Dean could think of to make it official. Unbreakable. Permanent. Like family.

The judge was quiet another few minutes. Then he spoke.

"This is just very unusual," he said, and Sam caught his breath. "You realize I have to think of the best environment for this young girl, and leaving her in the care of two men who have no permanent address doesn't seem like the best environment. Children need stability. They need structure. How do you plan on giving this to her?"

Sam looked at Dean, and for several seconds, they were both speechless. But Dean laughed nervously, speaking — or rather, stammering softly.

"Do you ask these questions to all the new parents?" he asked, watching the judge's eyes turn serious, and he closed his mouth.

Sam tried to intervene. "What he means to ask is, how are we supposed to know what to do?" he asked, glancing at Dean and seeing him nod encouragingly. "I don't know a lot about being a parent, but I know what Mary needs. Isn't that good enough?"

"Young man, when the well-being of a child is concerned, simply knowing what they need is never enough. You have to anticipate when things might go wrong. She's healthy and happy now, but a few years from now when she enters puberty and has questions you don't have answers to, what will you do? Being a parent, even a guardian, is a full-time job. You have to commit to it completely. Do you plan to do this with Miss Thompson?"

"To the best of my ability," Sam promised.

The judge lifted his eyebrows dramatically. "Of course."

For a minute, no one said anything as the judge wrote over the file in front of him. Then Dean spoke. "Is that it?" he asked. "You're gonna ask us one measly question and judge us accordingly?"

Judge Peirce took off his reading glasses, staring Dean down intensely. "Does it or does it not say 'judge' on my door, son?"

Dean retreated. "Sorry."

Finally, the judge sighed. "I'm not going to say you don't care for this girl," he began. "It's very clear you do. And I'm aware that you both seem to have never done this before, so it's natural for you to not know how to answer my questions. I understand that. But you both have to understand that from this moment on, the most important thing to you should be the safety of that little girl. Whatever trip you boys are on has got to stop where she is concerned. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Dean nodded, confused.

"Sir?" Sam said.

"I was only making for certain you boys knew what you were gettin' yourselves into," Judge Peirce said. "The fact of the matter is, Mary Thompson doesn't have any living relatives. And I would very much rather grant custody of her to two people who obviously want to care for her than to place her in foster care for what could be a very long time. So like I said, her well-being will be your concern from this moment on." He finished writing in the file, closing it and then handing it back to Sarah. "Congratulations," he said. "It's a girl."

Sam let out the deep breath he'd been holding in, and Dean did too. The judge smiled, rising slowly, and they followed him. Dean reached out to shake the man's hand, having never faced a judge like this before and never really wanting to ever again.

"Thank you," Dean said earnestly. "I think you just made me the happiest guy on the planet. Really."

"It's my pleasure, son. Just do what I said, and everything will be okay. I'm sure you'll do your best."

Dean faced Sam, and for the first time in a very long time, the older Winchester embraced the younger for no other reason than just sheer joy. And while Sarah got all the rest of the paperwork signed and finalized, the two elder Winchesters stepped into the hallway where Mary and Adam were waiting. Their younger brother looked at them immediately.

"Well?" he asked.

Dean looked at Sam, and the younger Winchester nodded in Mary's direction. Dean knelt in front of her happily, reaching for her and taking her in his arms like any father would embrace his new child. Sam looked on contentedly, and when Dean leaned back, he looked at Sam.

"I don't know, Sammy," he said. "Does she look like a Winchester to you?"

Sam smiled. "Actually, she does," he gushed.

Mary's brilliant green eyes lit up. "Really?" she exclaimed.

"Yes," Sam confirmed excitedly.

Mary leapt off the bench she'd been sitting on, hurtling herself into Sam's arms, and he caught her just in time, holding her against him as he had upon her exiting the storm drain just two nights previous. She held him just as tight, and it was obvious to Sam that this was going to become one of the happiest moments of his life.

Carefully, Mary reached for Dean, and he took her in his arms again to hold her as Sarah exited the judge's office.

"Okay," she said, moving to Sam's said and easing her arm around his waist. "We're almost finished. We just have to take these papers over to the vital records office. She'll need new documents." Then she added, "Real ones," she said to Sam, since it was obvious she knew all about the fake i.d.'s and credit cards.

To that, Sam blushed, looking on at his older brother completely dote on the newest member of their family. Sam had never seen Dean look so happy, and after having talked to Lisa in the last two days and found her to be okay, it was clear a heavy weight had been lifted off Dean's chest. In fact, he looked practically buoyant.

* * *

Two days later, on a stretch of back roads far away from any civilization, the distinct ping of metal hitting metal echoed through the air, indicating that someone was obviously doing target practice on some very unsuspecting tin cans. Woods and brush, turning green with the approach of spring lay muddy and thick from a recent rain, and the old chain link fence was a perfect place to settle most of the tools needed for this particular stop. Among the items laid out were two knives, still sheathed in their scabbards, a sawed-off rifle that looked about twenty years old, and two guns — an antique revolver with a pentacle carved into the handle and a 9 mm Beretta pistol with ivory inlays on the handle.

Three more pings polluted the air, and a voice followed.

"That's good," Dean said, observing Adam from about six feet away. "But drop you left shoulder. Cradle the handle in your palm, but keep a firm grip. You don't want anybody knocking it out of your hand . . . like this," he demonstrated, grabbing Adam's wrist and easily knocking the gun in his hand to the ground.

Adam sighed, and Dean did too. With no words, Adam simply picked the gun back up and began again.

About twenty feet away, Sam crouched next to Mary, allowing her to hold the crossbow his father had shown him when he'd been her age. She lifted the bow to her chest, aiming down the sight and squeezing the trigger easily to release the arrow. With a deep _thunk_, the arrow hit its mark, probably three centimeters from the middle.

Sam smiled. "That's amazing," he exclaimed. "I only had to show you once. Guess Cas was right about your learning curve."

"Did you hit the target on your first try?" she asked, taking another arrow and reloading the bow.

"No," Sam admitted. "But trust me, I got better. Do one more."

She lifted the bow again, repeating her previous performance only to get the arrow a little closer to the center of the target. Sam laughed softly, and Mary lowered the bow.

"My Dad was going to take me hunting," she said softly. "For Deer and stuff. At least, I'm pretty sure that's what he meant."

Sam looked at her, seeing a sad look in her eyes, and he lowered his knees to the ground, beckoning her to sit on his lap as he put the bow away. "Why didn't he?" Sam asked softly.

She left her eyes to Sam's. "After they told me, they were scared something would happen to me. They didn't want me to get hurt. So they locked me in my room with salt and Devil's Traps. Nothing was supposed to get to me there. But I still dreamed. Of her."

Sam sighed, glancing back to see Dean still instructing Adam. "Your parents loved you, Mary. They would have given their lives to make sure you were protected, and in a way, they did protect you. They loved you. Mary, I love you. So does Dean. So does Adam. And we're gonna protect you now. Okay?"

She inhaled deeply, nodding slowly. "Okay."

"Hey, you two stop lollygagging," Dean commanded, a wide smile on his face. "I'm starvin'. Let's go find somewhere to eat."

"We'll be right there," Sam promised. Then he looked at Mary. "Come on," he whispered. "Let's go."

She smiled easily, rising and then helping Sam collect the bow and arrows before they met Dean and Adam at the car. They all piled in slowly, and Dean turned back onto the road, switching on the radio and finding a good classic rock station to fill the air as they headed south toward destinations unknown.

For now, that was good enough.

* * *

Okay, kiddies. Don't worry, this isn't the last part. Feels like it, but it's not. One more chapter coming your way with a little hint for the future.

You know the drill. Tell me what you think. I like it when people do that.

**Translations:**

**_EGO iacio vos absentis! Ex obscurum, quod in lumen! - I cast you away! Out of the darkness, and into the light of day!_ (This is an approximation, as with all online translation, but it does the trick.)**

Stay tuned just a little while longer!**  
**


	9. One Year Later

Disclaimer Here. I do not own Supernatural or its characters who just happen to be awesome. But I do own Mary.

Read on!

* * *

**Six**

**One Year Later**

The first time he got to go to Florida, Dean had been hoping it would have been for a little R&R, but here he was, mobilizing his younger brothers and a nine-year-old girl to kill a nasty poltergeist less than thirty miles from the outskirts of Miami. It was just wrong. And for once, Sam agreed with him. Not on the Florida part, but mobilizing Adam and Mary felt abnormal, even though they'd been doing it for a little while now. Mostly, Adam and Mary had only been allowed to come along on the easy stuff. But every once in a while, something disgusting would crawl out of the woodwork, and the safest place would be together.

Still, it felt strange.

They'd gotten wind of this particular poltergeist through an unusual channel, since most people didn't really believe in the damn things. But when a local newspaper had started running the story of a haunted house where an old cronie had kicked the bucket and was now committing mass murder, Dean hadn't been able to ignore it. And neither could Sam. The only good thing about this was that it was February, but it was warm out. Dean didn't even need a jacket.

After some checking with the locals, Dean had been able to discern the legends and stories about the house. Agnes Cross, 57, had apparently had a lot of problems with the girls in the neighborhood near her house, and apparently, even in her afterlife, she was still unsatisfied with them. The high teenage pregnancy rate and low graduation rate might have had something to do with that. But that was no reason for them to die. Irresponsible was irresponsible. But not deathly irresponsible. And for that, Agnes was going on a permanent siesta. With tequila.

An abandoned stretch of road about a mile from the house served as a staging area for them all to make their preparations. Dean and Sam carried to usual things to kill a poltergeist: salt, kerosene and matches along with iron rounds in their guns and rock salt in the rifles. Since Adam and Mary were going to hang back and make sure no police came around, they were going to be a little less armed. Mary had become more than proficient with her bow, now carrying a quiver of arrows and strapping a harness to hold her bow that Sam and Dean had allowed her to pick out herself. It was light-weight just for her but also intricately decorated. While Sam's 9mm Beretta had ivory grips on the handle, Mary's bow had ebony inlays along the cradle and silver bearings. It was the one weapon no one else ever touched. Adam's side arm was a little less detailed but plainly effective since he'd killed a few werewolves and shapeshifters with it. Adam and Mary had done patrol before, so tonight was no different.

"Stay in touch over the phones," Dean told Adam. "Don't call unless you see something. You see a cop? You hide and use the emergency code. Sam and me should be out in two hours, three tops. Do not go into that house. You got me?"

Adam nodded obediently.

Dean did too, moving from the car with his duffel slung tightly over his shoulder. Sam gave Adam and Mary a careful, if not hopeful look before he followed Dean. With that, patrol began as they moved in the opposite direction of Sam and Dean.

* * *

The old house on the hill looked about a inviting as a run-down shack with cracking yellow paint and drooping wood along the porch. Dean had seen some creepy places, but this house was the creepiest. He initially didn't want to go in. But after searching the grounds for a burial sight on the land around the house, he and Sam had come up with zip. The only other place that made sense what somewhere in the house. The idea of having to walk through this house was making Dean very uncomfortable. He had no idea what was inside, and he didn't want this to take any longer than absolutely necessary. If it was absolutely necessary, Dean wanted this over with as soon as possible.

Sam took the front of the house, brandishing his pistol high while Dean covered the back with the plan that they would meet inside and take the top floor together before hitting the basement — if there was one. At the back of the house, three things became obvious to Dean. One, there was no back door. It was ridiculous, but it was true. Two, the closest thing to a back door was level with the ground and had an opening just big enough for Dean to crawl through very uncomfortably. And finally, when Dean tried to open it, he heard glass shatter inside the house.

"Well," he muttered to himself. "So much for a quiet entrance."

Once he had the opening cracked, Dean slid inside as carefully as he could without cutting himself on any of the glass. It was not an easy feat, especially with his duffel. Dean pulled out his flashlight, shining it in every direction and discovering himself in what looked like an enclosed cleaning room. There was a washer and a dryer along with what looked like old drying racks with clothes still laid over them. Dean checked every corner and crevice of the room, but there was nothing there. And Dean found a door that led into the house, exiting the cleaning room and ending up next to the stair case.

"Sam!" Dean yelled.

"In the living room! Did you see anything?"

"No! You?"

"No."

Dean made it to the foyer as Sam came out of the living room, and together they eased up the stairs to check out the second floor together.

* * *

Since it was winter, Adam didn't really expect to be able to hear any birds or insects, but it was Florida, so it wasn't quiet. And with them being so close to the city, it wasn't exactly dark either. But it was dark enough, and that made Adam even more jumpy than usual. It was bad enough he had to keep an eye on the surrounding areas, but he also felt obligated to keep an eye on Mary. She was still only nine, and that meant she was more than three feet shorter than he was. He could tell she was going to be a petite one, and Adam knew he was going to be protective of her for the rest of her life and probably his too.

In the last year, his ears had started to perk up and so had his eyes. He hadn't told Sam or Dean, but having Michael inside him again those few days had been different from the first time. It had been more of a two way radio as opposed to a bull horn, like having a guide instead of a drill Sargent. And it had changed Adam in more ways than he was willing to let on. It allowed him to see farther and hear more keenly than he'd ever been able to as a mere Mortal. And it also allowed him to know when something wasn't right.

Like right now.

"Mary, stay close," he told her. "Something's wrong."

She eased closer to him, lifting her bow defensively. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure. Did it just get cold for a second, or was that just me?"

He looked at her, seeing in her eyes that it wasn't just him, and he moved her in front of him to keep an eye on her while he glanced back toward the house.

Since Dean and Sam had decided to keep Adam and Mary with them, three things had happened to direct succession. First, less than a month after leaving New York that day, Adam had killed a Shapeshifter outside of Richmond, Virginia, and Dean had decided to make Adam the one who would watch Mary since she'd still been learning to use her bow. Second, Mary had been taken hostage by a deranged Witch out to bring back her dead husband, and Sam had taken it upon himself to teach her a few self-defense moves in case it ever happened again. And finally, a werewolf had tried to infect Adam with its curse. If Mary hadn't been there to kill it, Dean and Sam were pretty sure they would have had to kill Adam.

Now they were a team.

"Do you think Dean and Sam are finished?" Mary asked.

"I doubt it," Adam told her. "Be quiet."

They moved around the edge of the property, Adam scanning everything as he kept Mary within arm's length, and for a few minutes, it looked like nothing was around. Hopefully, Dean and Sam would be done soon, and they could get the hell out of Dodge.

Then Adam wasn't sure. There weren't any lights that he could see flickering or any scurrying sounds to be heard, but Adam was pretty sure he could feel a ghost nearby. He thought for a minute it was coming from the house, but then a cold shiver slid down his spine and his breath vaporized in front of him.

He stopped, grabbing Mary's hand to keep her close.

* * *

Sam lit a match, waiting for Dean to finish with the kerosene and the salt and then throwing it into the pit where they'd finally found Agnes' bones in the basement of the house. Sam was immediately reminded of a hunt he and Dean had been on where a witch's poltergeist had been haunting the little girl of a family friend. Of course, Sam's body had been taken over by a naive, seventeen-year-old kid who thought he was going to get a hefty pay-off. He was glad things like that didn't happen that often.

As soon as the bones were nice and toasty, he and Dean collected their gear and headed out. There hadn't been any word from Adam in a long time, and Dean was getting worried. Their trek out of the house was a quick one, and Sam led the way to the car. He pulled out his phone, dialing Adam as he and Dean loaded up the car.

"He's not answering," Sam told Dean. "We should have made them stay with the car."

Dean grabbed his own gun, slamming the trunk shut and then moving along the property line of the house. "Don't do that right now, Sammy. Let's just get 'em and go. Come on!"

They both hurried away from the car, shining their flashlights over as much of the area as they could and covering more ground than they thought two people could get over in an amount of time that didn't seem possible.

"Where are they?" Dean demanded. "Damn it! How could they have gotten this far from the car?"

Sam shined his flashlight right and then left, seeing something in the corner of his eye and then realizing what it was. "Dean," he yelled, moving over the ground and confirming his suspicions as he discovered both Adam and Mary unconscious over the ground. Sam knelt at Mary's side, discovering blood smeared over her shirt and jeans. "Dean, she's hurt!"

Dean didn't waste time looking over Adam, lifting his youngest brother in his arms and then turning to run to the car. "Let's go!" he ordered.

Sam followed quickly, picking up Mary and holding her close as he followed Dean to the car. Neither of them said anything as they both shuffled inside, and Dean got the car started so they could get away from the house as fast as his wheels could carry him. Sam tried to look over Mary to find the source of her injury, but he couldn't find it. He tried to wake her, but even after several minutes, she still wouldn't wake.

Dean made it to a motel about fifteen miles from the house, ordering Sam to get Mary and Adam out of the car while he secured them a room as quickly as he could. Sam didn't hesitate, getting Adam first and laying him in the front seat while he again lifted Mary in his arms. Dean was back in less than five minutes, and he helped, taking Adam into their room and settling just inside the door while Sam laid Mary on one of the beds.

"I don't see any wounds," Sam said frantically, easing his hands over Mary's chest where most of the blood seemed to be smeared. "Where's all the blood coming from?"

Adam came to life suddenly, coughing roughly, and even though it took Dean a few seconds to react, he hurried to Adam's side as his little brother spoke.

"It's . . . not . . . her . . . blood," he panted, grabbing Dean's arm with a bloody hand and bringing all of Dean's attention to his abdomen where wet, warm blood soaked through his shirt.

Dean lifted Adam's shirt hastily, discovering a gash in his stomach that was still oozing steadily. "Oh, God, Adam!" he exclaimed. "Call 9-1-1," he ordered Sam. "We can't handle this here!"

In the few seconds it took Sam to switch gears, Dean yelled again. "Do it now!"

* * *

"_Adam?"_

It wasn't Michael. He could tell that much. It was too deep. Too gravelly. But then who could it be? And where was he?

"_Adam, what are you doing here?"_

He slowly opened his eyes, discovering himself in a dark room. It was kind of cold, but not uncomfortable, and as his eyes adjusted, he realized he was laying in his mother's living room in Minnesota.

"_Adam, come on, you're not supposed to be here."_

Who was that? His voice sounded so familiar, like a distant memory itching to climb to the surface of his mind. It made him think of his birthday and baseball games.

Adam sat up quickly, turning in the direction the voice was coming from and instantly seeing someone he hadn't seen in a very long time. There standing in the dark next the entryway of the living room was his father.

John Winchester moved closer to him, dressed in jeans and a denim button-down shirt, and Adam was paralyzed. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. Was he dead? Was this Heaven?

"How did you get here?" John asked him, sitting on the coffee table in front of him. "What happened? I thought Dean and Sam were keeping you safe."

Adam couldn't speak. He was so shocked that nothing real would register. He couldn't be dead. Could he?

John reached for him, shaking him slightly and surprising Adam with his firm hands. Then Adam spoke softly. "Am I dead?" he breathed.

"I thought Dean and Sam were lookin' out for you. What happened?"

Slowly, the memories became more prominent. He'd been patrolling with Mary when the poltergeist had tried to attack Mary. Adam had intervened, only to get a metal rod to the gut for his trouble. The last thing he could remember was lying the ground while Mary stood alone with the damn thing that attacked him.

"Is Mary okay?" he asked.

"That's not important," John told him. "You're not supposed to be here. He said he was going to send you back."

"Who?" Adam asked, looking up to see someone else he thought he would never see again. "Michael," he whispered.

The Archangel grinned, moving closer to them. "Hey, there, sport," he greeted. "Well, you are very early. I wasn't expecting you for at least another century or so."

"Am I dead?" Adam asked again.

When Michael didn't reply, Adam had to assume the worst. He _was_ dead. _This_ was Heaven.

"I don't understand," Adam said looking at his father. "It wasn't that bad. They were taking me to the hospital. I remember that. Why am I here?"

"I'm sorry, sport. But it was bad. Or well, it still is. They're still technically working over you in the emergency room. Your heart stopped about thirty seconds ago."

"So send me back," Adam pleaded. "You don't understand. Mary needs me. I have to keep her safe. Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Michael assure him. "Dean and Sam got rid of that pesky poltergeist before she could really do any damage. To Mary any way. You, on the other hand, are another story entirely," he said, now sitting on the couch with Adam and moving his hand to Adam's left side.

Suddenly pain exploded across his gut, and Adam groaned loud, doubling over and then being laid back over the couch. "The old hag hit your intestines and one of your kidneys," Michael told him, holding his hand over Adam's injury. "The doctors don't know it yet, but they can't help you."

"So help him!" John yelled. "Michael, I swear that if you don't fix him right now — "

"Relax, John," Michael said calmly. "I need to concentrate."

The sharp, uncomfortable pain spread through Adam's torso, and he started hyperventilating. He was gonna die. That was the end of it. It didn't matter where he was anymore. It didn't matter what happened now. _He was gonna die._

"Adam," Michael said. "I need you to listen to me. I need you to focus. I'm not supposed to do this, but you're right. Mary does need you. She's gonna to need you for a very long time, and I'm gonna to make sure she has you. But you need to focus."

Michael laid a set of bloody fingers over Adam's lips, silencing him for the moment and then pressing his other hand to Adam's gut. The pain got worse, moving into Adam's hips and shoulders, and for several frightening moments, he thought Michael was trying to kill him. There was no way this was a good thing, no matter what Michael said.

"I'm gonna have to send you back with this so they won't get too suspicious," Michael told him, his voice distant but determined. "You know. Doctors. But you'll be okay. And remember what I said."

Softly, Michael began to chant over Adam, touching his forehead and releasing him from the pain slowly until everything went white, hot and loud.

* * *

Two things had become obvious to Dean less than twenty-four hours after both Adam and Mary had been roomed into the hospital, other than the fact that the doctors had no idea how Adam had survived. Dean was pretty sure how his brother had survived. It was just what they did. Winchesters were apparently made of sturdier stuff than most other people, and even if Adam only had their father in him, he was still a Winchester. And there was that pesky obviousness of having had an Archangel stuck inside you for a few weeks of your young life.

No. Two things obvious to Dean now was that this was too dangerous for his youngest brother. And it was too dangerous for Mary. Dean didn't want to diminish all Adam had learned in such a short period of time, but what had happened tonight only proved it. And Mary was just a little kid. Dean realized that what had been his life was different, but where Adam and Mary were concerned, he had to think about the future. He had to think about every job, every ghost, every werewolf, and he had to think about whether Adam and Mary were safe. Dean had tried to operate under the assumption that they just would be because they always had been for the last year. He couldn't do that anymore. Tonight had only proven that even more.

After talking to the nursing staff and flashing his dimples shamelessly, Dean had been able to get Adam and Mary roomed together, even though she was nine and technically needed to be on the Pediatrics floor. He wanted to be able to watch them both, and he could only do that if they were together. Sam was off somewhere talking to Bobby, and Cas had come in once after Dean had called him. He'd only looked over Adam and Mary to be sure of their wellness before he'd disappeared again without really saying where he was going. Dean didn't really care anymore.

This was presenting a very difficult situation, and Dean was unsure how to proceed. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He knew he had to keep Mary safe, and it was his job to keep Adam alive no matter what the kid said. The problem was that this life they were living didn't always breed safety or survival. Sometimes, it meant death and chaos, and Dean wanted so much to keep his little brother alive. He wanted so much to keep Mary safe. There was really only one way for that to be possible.

"Dean," Adam breathed from his bed.

Dean stood up quickly, hurrying to Adam's side and gently taking his hand.

"Hey," he whispered to Adam. "You're okay, Adam. Everything's okay. How are you feeling?"

Adam inhaled deeply. "Fantastic," he huffed.

"Don't worry about anything," Dean told him. "Mary's safe. She's here. She didn't get hurt. You're both going to be okay."

"Michael," Adam whispered, gently slipping back into unconsciousness.

Even though Dean was confused, he didn't push it. He knew Adam was tired and needed his rest. But just the mention of the Archangel's name was enough for Dean to know how his brother had survived. And Dean didn't know whether to be grateful or not. Mostly, he was just scared. Scared that this would happen again. Scared that he wouldn't be able to prevent it. Scared that either Adam or Mary wouldn't come out of it alive the next time. Dean wouldn't be able to live with himself if that happened. And there was only one way to prevent it.

Sam came into the room then, pocketing his phone as he slowly stepped over the Mary's bed where she was sleeping.

"What'd Bobby say?" Dean asked.

"He's taking care of the police and doctors for right now," Sam reported softly, leaning over Mary and gently rubbing her forehead. "I told him we'd be there in a couple of days when Adam was strong enough to move. Why didn't Cas heal him?" Sam asked, his voice slightly annoyed. "We could've been gone hours ago."

"I don't know," Dean said. "But you heard the doctors. It wasn't as bad as it looked. Adam's gonna be fine. He just needs his rest. But we're not goin' to Bobby's."

Sam sat up straight. "What do you mean?" he asked. "We need time to get everything together again. They'll need some down time."

Dean stood up from Adam's bed, facing Sam solemnly. "We both know what they need," he told his younger brother. "And it's more than just down time."

Sam immediately knew what Dean meant, and he left Mary's side to meet Dean between the beds. "That's not an option," Sam argued. "This is the first time this has happened. We shouldn't do anything drastic right now. And you said it yourself. They just need to rest."

"And then what?" Dean bellowed. "We go to Bobby's for a few days? We get some food in 'em and get 'em rested up? Then we find another job and ship out before a week can go by? This is not the life we wanted for Mary."

Sam clenched his fists. "That's not fair. We both agreed she wouldn't be safe without us. I wasn't the only one who wanted to train her. You did too. So did Adam."

"And I'm not saying we're wrong," Dean griped. "But this? Sammy, Adam coulda died out there. Mary coulda been taken from us to a place where we never woulda found her, and for what? Because of what? Because we told ourselves she would be safe with us? How many times did we get hurt because of Dad, because he decided to train us when we were old enough to hold guns and bows and arrows? And I know this is the first time, but it won't be the last. I know it, and so do you. The best thing we can do for Mary now is the only thing we know will keep her safe. And it isn't with us anymore."

Sam huffed, glancing at Mary and then looking at Adam. "Not yet. We can't leave them in the hospital. Let's just get them to Bobby's, and then we'll talk about this. Please. I don't want her to feel like we're leaving her."

Dean didn't argue, looking at Mary and then back at Adam before he stepped away from Sam and left the room. He didn't know where he was going, but he had to get away from Sam right now. He had to get away from Adam and Mary so that when he left, it wouldn't make him feel like the total failure he felt like right now.

* * *

Despite it being February, the roof of the hospital was warm. Humid even. But it was fresh air, and the inside of the hospital had started to feel oppressive with so many decisions to be made. Dean didn't like it anymore than Sam, but he knew it was true. Being with him and Sam was dangerous for her now. And there was no amount of arguing Sam was gonna do that could convince Dean otherwise. He wasn't even sure taking her to Bobby's was a good idea. There were too many connections there, and she needed a clean break. So did Adam. Whether Dean wanted them with him or not, it didn't change facts.

"I'm sorry, Dean," he heard and turned to see Cas there alone. "I wish things could have been different."

Dean didn't have to ask what he was talking about. "Yeah, me too."

"For what it's worth, you did do your best," Cas assured him. "Mary wouldn't have lived this long without you. I couldn't have asked for more than that."

Dean stared out at the horizon, seeing the ocean in the distance and wondering what the water felt like. He couldn't think about anything serious right now. Not with what he was having to decide.

"She'll be safe with Adam," Cas told him. "And I'll keep my eyes on them as often as I can spare them. With Michael on the ground, it shouldn't be too hard."

That piqued Dean's interest, and he turned to face Cas. "Michael's on Earth?" he asked. "How's that possible? Doesn't he need a vessel?"

"Normally, yes," Cas confirmed, moving closer to Dean and leaning over the railing. "But he was somehow able to procure an independent method of existence on this plane. And you shouldn't worry over him now. He's here for a unique purpose, but the point is that with Mary out in the open, he'll be able to help. Now that he'll have a good reason."

"Why is that?" Dean asked, confused. "Don't tell me it's because he still wants Mary. I thought that was over with Lilith and Lucifer gone."

Cas said nothing.

Dean sighed heavily, leaning over the rail. "I never wanted this," he said softly. "All I wanted was for her to be safe. But I guess I forgot. This life ain't ever gonna been safe. Is it? Not for her."

"I know you want me to say it will be," Cas said, somewhat sympathetically. "And I want to say it will be. But you're right. This life won't ever be safe for her. And that isn't your doing. It's just the way this is. And you knew that before you took her."

"What do I do?" Dean asked. "How am I supposed to leave her now? She'll think I'm abandoning her. And I kinda am, right? Even if I leave her with Adam, I'm still leaving her. Right?"

Dean looked only to find Cas gone, and he exhaled heavily, covering his face with his hand and feeling the realization of what he was about to do get stuck in his throat. It wasn't fair. He'd only had her in his life for a little while. He was just getting used to her being around. But maybe that was the problem. And maybe the only way to solve it was to just leave. Whether she understood or not, Dean knew she wouldn't let him go. And he couldn't hurt her anymore. Not like this.

* * *

Baffling the doctors even further, Adam appeared to have healed almost completely within a few days of his injury, something they all said should have been impossible. Adam remained tight-lipped throughout most of his examinations with the doctors, and so did Dean, but that didn't make the future any clearer. Dean still had to do this quick, so that police wouldn't get involved. And for that, he complied with Sam on one turn.

So after Adam and Mary were both discharged, Dean and Sam checked into a motel just over the Florida state border to further recuperate from the last several days. But once they were there, Dean could already tell that Sam knew. He knew they weren't going to be taking Mary or Adam any further. And even though Dean hated putting them through it, he knew it was necessary.

Sam put Mary to bed after a day of driving, and after taking pain killers from the aches and stitches in his side, Adam laid down with her, leaving Sam and Dean to quietly and quickly pack what had become unpacked from this latest job. Sam tried to resist, but he diligently stuffed his clothes into his duffel, hauling it to the car and waiting for Dean in the front passenger seat.

Dean made sure there was enough money and supplies for Adam and Mary to get bus tickets and food, and he left a letter on the other bed for Adam. There was no point in saying good-bye. Probably because he hoped in the near future that they would all see each other again. Or maybe that was just a fool's hope. But it drove him forward none the less, allowing him to leave quietly so he wouldn't wake his brother or Mary.

The inside of the car was . . . icy as Dean pulled out of the parking spot, and even though it wasn't necessary, Sam still spoke.

"You sure about this?" he pleaded.

Dean put the car in gear, pulling out onto the highway in front of the motel. He never answered. Sam already knew what he would say, and there was no need to say it. But in his head, Dean screamed, _"NO!"_

* * *

The light of day was cruel to Adam as he woke laying on the most uncomfortable bed he'd ever laid on in his life, and that was saying a lot considering the last year he'd had. He opened his eyes to see streams of brilliant yellow-white light blasting into the middle of the room, and the first thing he notice was the absence of his two older brothers. He realized Mary's slight figure laying in the crook of his arm, and he sat up slowly, careful not to wake her as he further surveyed the room.

His bag was still in the floor, and so was Mary's. Food from the night before was still strewn over the table, and the chairs were still where they'd been before he'd laid down to get some sleep. But Dean and Sam were gone.

He stood up from the bed, stretching painfully and feeling his healing skin tug on several of his stitches before he absently scanned the other side of the room. Instantly, he saw a long white envelope laying over the pillow of the other bed, and when he sat down on the blanket, he saw that it had his name on it. Calmly, he lifted the envelope and turned it over, opening it and then pulling out a single sheet of folded paper.

His hands trembled nervously as he flipped open the paper to see his name at the top and a four tier letter within the body of the paper along with Dean's messy scrawl at the bottom. Immediately, he looked at Mary, sighing in relief that she was still asleep as he began to read silently.

"_Adam,_

_This is gonna feel wrong, but I promise it's for the best. I tried, Adam. I really did, but I guess I should have known a long time ago. This life, it just ain't safe for everybody. And I wanted you and Mary to be safe. This is the only way for that to be possible. So I'm gonna trust you to keep her safe. If anyone can do it, you can._

_Me and Sam gotta keep doing what we're doing. It's what we've always done, and I gotta admit that it's too late for us to have a normal life. I tried to have a normal life, and it just isn't possible. But you and Mary got a chance to have as normal a life as you possible can. No ghosts. No Demons. No Werewolves. Just you and her. _

_Don't worry about me or Sam. We've been lookin' after each other for a while now, and that won't change since we'll both have the knowledge that you're looking after her. I left enough money for you to get pretty far, but don't come lookin' for me or Sam. It's time for you to live your own life now. I know you can do that. You did it for a while before you met me or Sam, only now you'll be livin' for Mary. Please don't let me down._

_Tell Mary I love her, and that I'll always be thinkin' about her. Tell her Sam does too. We never wanted this to happen, but I can't afford to have the two of you gettin' hurt again. I want you to be safe, and that isn't with me or Sam anymore. It's just the two of you now. Take care of each other. Please._

_Dean."_

Despite not expecting this now, Adam couldn't say he was surprised. And he was also surprised that he wasn't mad. All Dean and Sam had ever wanted was to keep Mary safe, and the other night had been a really close call — in more ways than one.

He lifted his eyes to look at Mary, knowing she wasn't going to understand this and knowing it was going to be his job to help her. With that, he stood up from the bed and tucked the letter into the jeans he'd slept in, moving toward the bed to wake her. He figured he was going to be doing it from now on. And they needed to get on the road.

The End (For now anyway)

* * *

Okay, Kiddies. The last chapter. For now anyway. I _am_ planning a sequel, but after writing this, I started focusing on my Avatar story. Check it out if you like that sort of thing.

As for the next part of this particular story, I'm hoping to start it once I have a good story, and when I do, I'll post it as soon as I can.

Until then, Keep Calm & Carry On!

Thank you so much for all the reviews, alerts and favorites. You have no idea how much they mean to me!


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